Epic
by dead last hero
Summary: Roxas wanted to DO the book report, not BE it. Axel wanted to go to the fair, and Sora just wanted a glass of water. AxelxRoxas, RikuxSora, ZexionxDemyx, Parody x6
1. Life: Regarding the Unfairness Thereof

**A/N:** Rated M for violence and strong language.

This is a Kingdom Hearts - Labyrinth parody. I followed the scripts of the originals as close as I could. My intent was only to tell them from the character's point of view, as well as twist them to serve my purpose. For a list of all of the stories used, continue reading this Author's note. If you wish it to be a surprise, then please **skip this note** and continue with the story.

Lalala, pointless words meant to fill up space, Einstein invented fanfiction.

Stories: Labyrinth - Resident Evil 4 - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Wicked: The Musical - Rent: The Musical - Cinderella

There you have it so happy reading!

* * *

Roxas consulted his homework grumpily. He leaned his back against the railing of the bridge he was occupying, a small stretch of wood arched across a small pond embellished with small flowers. Everything in the park seemed rather tiny, which probably made it cuter and more appealing, he supposed. It wasn't helping Roxas' mood one bit. 

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here," he muttered aloud, trying to focus on the tiny print in the book he had selected for his report. What a moron he'd been to stalk into the library, snatch the first book out of the fiction section he saw, and decide to report on it. Roxas hadn't consulted the title, the blurb, not even its ratty appearance until AFTER the library assistant had checked him out.

"Good book," Zexion had said, stamping it with little to no enthusiasm. "Don't forget to read between the lines." Roxas had rolled his eyes at his strange idiom and thrown the book carelessly into his backpack.

Roxas continued on with the book, reading aloud in a dull manner, even as his cellphone began to vibrate. "To the castle beyond the goblin city, to take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great- hello?"

"What are you doing?" came a familiar voice over the line. Roxas rolled his eyes, taking his attention off the book and turning to lean his front against the rail. His hand bobbed up and down as he spoke, desiring to drop the book and feed it to the ducks below.

"What's up, Axel? I'm busy," he replied shortly. Roxas already knew what Axel would be asking, and he would rather not hear it. Axel knew Roxas was busy with homework, how dare he torture him with his ideas of fun, or with another of his 'nearly-asking-for-a-date-but-it-could-never-actually-happen' invitations.

"Wanna go to the fair tonight? Jimmy Eat World is going to be in the grandstand. I'll even pay!" Axel offered.

Roxas rolled his eyes again. Geeze, he was going to make himself dizzy soon. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have a ton of homework," he reminded him. It wasn't a ton, but reading an entire book and writing a three page report that was due tomorrow morning was enough to keep him in for the night. "Besides, Sora is sick and I told my step mom I'd-"

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by the nearby church blaring its hourly bell. "Shit!" Roxas exclaimed, glancing at his watch. He hung up on Axel rather abruptly and snatched up his backpack.

"Damnit, I don't believe it! Its seven o'clock!" he cursed to himself, cutting through the rose garden in the park and hardly waiting for the walk signal at the end of the sidewalk. He felt a drop of water splat defiantly on his forehead and groaned. It wasn't long before the first sheet of rain dumped on him as he ran headlong for home.

His stepmother was waiting on the front porch as Roxas squelched his way up the driveway. Her blonde hair was slicked back with those wild antenna pieces jutting out at odd angles. Roxas had always thought her hairstyle was stupid, but he had only dared mutter that behind her back quietly.

Larxene glared at her stepson as he stopped on the steps. "Is it too difficult for you to keep track of time? I TOLD you to be home at six, and that you weren't going anywhere tonight!"

"You're being unfair!" Roxas argued with her.

"Oh, really!" She replied in defense. Roxas didn't move. He felt the necessary urge to tell her off start to bubble inside of him.

"Well don't stand there in the rain," she snapped, and Roxas bolted up the stairs past her. _'Straight to my room, straight to my room,' _is all he could think of.

"Roxas, you're an hour late," Larxene reminded him, blocking the passage to the stairs.

"I said I'm sorry," he replied. He hadn't, and he wouldn't, but anything to get her off his back.

"Your father and I go out very rarely-" Larxene began in a scolding tone.

"You go out every weekend!" Roxas protested, ducking under her arm to scamper up the stairs.

"I asked you to take care of Sora, only if it wouldn't interfere with your plans!" Larxene called up the stairs at Roxas' retreating back.

Roxas turned around, fists clenched. What was she lying to herself about, now? "You didn't even ask what my plans are!" He hadn't had any, but he would have! He would have with Axel!

Larxene narrowed her eyes. "I assume you'd tell me if you had a date. You should have dates at your age," she commented, as if it were completely normal.

Roxas felt offended, mouth hanging open slightly. Yeah. Yeah he WOULD'VE had a date. Well, it wouldn't have really been a date, but it would have been hanging out with Axel and…geeze! Why did she have to go and ruin his almost plans AGAIN?!

Roxas turned and ran directly into his father. His face looked mildly concerned. "We were worried about you," he started, but Roxas pushed past him. "I can't do anything right," Roxas retorted in a grossly sarcastic tone before storming into his room and slamming the door.

Larxene huffed angrily. "He treats me like a wicked stepmother," she said bitterly, snatching up her purse.

Father rolled his eyes. Now we know where Roxas got his habit. "I'll talk to him," he said with a little sigh, heading up the stairs.

Roxas had sat down at his desk and spilled the contents of his backpack onto it. He shoved one of the earbuds of his ipod into his ear and pushed play. The earbud started sporadically in the middle of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. Roxas flipped open the book he had been trying to finish.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered," he stared in an overly loud, annoyed tone. He hardly heard the knock on his door.

"Roxas? Could I talk to you?" Father's muffled voice hit his ears.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Roxas shouted back. _'Your wife is a controlling witch and that's really all there is to it.' _"You better hurry or you'll be late!"

"Sora already ate and I think he's asleep, but if he needs something, you need to get it for him! We'll be home around midnight!" Father said through the door, and Roxas didn't hear his steps as he left.

Roxas growled as the headlights of the car flashed past his window, indicating his stepmother and father had left. "Oh yeah, you really wanted to talk to me. You were practically breaking down the door," he growled.

Roxas tried to concentrate on his book, but he found it extremely hard. Axel at the fair, riding the ferris wheel with Axel, fair scones and corndogs. Roxas slammed the book down on the desk and tore his headphones out. He could have been out having FUN right now!

Roxas gave up on the book and absently got up from his desk. Upon sitting down on his bed, he noticed his pillow was missing.

"Someone had been in my room? Ugh, I hate that!" If father or evil Larxene took his pillow and gave it to Sora, he would slaughter them. Like he needed to get sick RIGHT before midterms!

Roxas threw open his door and was not in the least bit quiet about barging into his brother's room. Sora woke with a start, and immediately started coughing.

There was Roxas' pillow. Right underneath Sora's coughing face. WHY?! Roxas rubbed his own face exasperated.

"What are you using my pillow for? That's disgusting!"

Sora looked like he had tried to say words, but hacking and sniffling was all that came out.

"Ew! Gross, Sora! You ruined my plans tonight, you know that?" Roxas wasn't quite sure why he was yelling at his brother.

"Roxas, can you get me-" Sora choked out, but Roxas slammed the bedroom door behind him. Why should he have to take care of Sora? Sora should be able to take care of himself. Obviously, Roxas had a lot to do, too! Why is it that what HE wanted never mattered? Sora was always the goody goody, the favorite, who never did anything wrong. Roxas stormed into his own room and flipped open his notebook, snatching up a thick, red sharpie.

"The story I read was about this really awesome guy, who's stepmother made him stay home with his brother when he could have been out having fun at the FAIR!" he started to write, the sloppiness in his penmanship reflecting his frustration. "The brother was a spoiled child and always got what he wanted, and the boy was practically a slave! No one knew that the…the…" What was the stupid evil king in the story he was reading? "The Goblin King had fallen in love with him, and gave him certain powers. So one night, when his brother had been particularly demanding-" Roxas could hear Sora coughing in the next room, calling for him between sniffles. "-he asked the goblins for help."

Roxas stared at the nonsense on his paper. What a load of stupid crap. The book was stupid crap, and Sora was being stupid and crappy. The whole night and day was being the stupidest, hugest piece of crap ever to have existed.

Roxas looked at the shabby book on his desk. He wasn't sure why, but his hand gravitated towards it. He flipped to a random page. Everything in it seemed so made up and lame. "Whatever, the King would take the kid and keep him in his castle. Turn him into a goblin." Roxas laughed, imagining Sora as a goblin. He wasn't even sure what goblins looked like, but he assumed they were ugly and weird.

Roxas flopped onto his bed. "Yeah, and the guy suffered in silence until one night, when he was tired of his homework, and hurt by the words of his stepmother, and he could no longer stand it-"

"Roxas!" Sora called, followed by a choking cough. Roxas once again rolled his eyes. "FINE! I'M COMING!" he called back, stalking over to Sora's room moodily.

Roxas entered Sora's room. "What?" he asked sharply. Sora didn't even notice he was irritated. "Can you get me some water?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Roxas obliged, heading across the hall to the bathroom. He though he saw something scurry across the hall out of the corner of his eye. Probably his imagination.

Roxas pulled a disposable cup out from under the sink. He heard the rustle of the shower curtain and turned around. Uh…okay.

Roxas brooded as he filled the cup with water. "Yeah, right. Magical words or whatever to whisk people away. Like I could just get rid of Sora for tonight with a little "I wish the goblins would come take you away right now." Stupid." He turned off the water and walked back to Sora's room.

Roxas looked curiously at the door. He hadn't closed it behind him. Roxas pushed the door open, and was stunned by the silence. Geeze, why did Sora ask for water if he'd already stopped coughing?

"Sora?" Roxas asked. He didn't remember turning the light off, either. Roxas reached down to flip the switch. Nothing happened. He looked over at Sora's still form lying on his bed in the dim light the moon provided through the window.

Wait, still form? "SORA?!" Roxas asked, dropping the cup. Was Sora? Did he…? Did he DIE? He hadn't been THAT sick!

"Sora?" Roxas asked, slightly more panicked, flipping back the covers to reveal an empty bed. He'd gotten up and left? But, he had been so sick! Roxas grabbed a fistful of his hair and bit his lip, eyes darting about the room.

"SORA!" Roxas called out the bedroom door. Maybe he went downstairs? The only answer was a rustle from behind him. He whipped around quickly, but nothing was there. Was he hearing things? Roxas looked back out the bedroom door.

Another rustle from behind him. If he was hiding just to scare Roxas for being a jerk, then he was going to get it so bad. Roxas flipped his head around. When did the window get open?

Lightening flashed rather suddenly, illuminating the dark room and the figure that now stood in the middle of it.

Roxas raised an eyebrow, confused. "R-Riku? Where did you…what are you doing here?" His panic subsided a little at Riku's familiar face, but he still kept an alertness that for some reason he felt was necessary.

Riku pointed upwards and the light flickered on. Coincidence. "What are you doing here? No, as a matter of fact, how did you even get in here?" Roxas demanded. Did he climb in the window?! That was highly suspicious, not to mention kind of pervy.

Riku stepped closer to him and Roxas raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "What the HELL are you wearing?" He was clad in the tightest leather pants known to man, and a heavily decorated jacket to match. Tendrils of fabric trailed from his shoulders and he seemed to omit an eerie sort of glow from some undetermined part of him. His face, his hair, something?

"Is it Halloween early? What's your deal, Riku?" Roxas asked as Riku sat delicately on Sora's bed.

"Riku?" he asked, one eyebrow raised with the question. "Are you confusing me with someone else? As Goblin King, I believe I should be offended. Especially after I've helped you."

Roxas was confused. What was Riku playing at? Helped him? With what? He watched Riku tap his foot almost impatiently.

"You're…the Goblin King?" Roxas asked cautiously. Apparently Riku was in some sort of delusion right now, but if he knew where Sora went, Roxas could play along. He could call the crazy police on Riku later.

"I…want my brother back, if its all the same," Roxas said, trying to remain calm. He tried to remember how that book went. What was it? The girl had wished the baby away to the Goblin King…or something. Maybe Riku had read the book too, and decided to play a cruel joke on Roxas.

"What's said is said," Riku replied, standing up. He was taller than Roxas, and could therefore loom quite well over him.

'_Said? Don't be lame, there are no magical words or anything. What does he think I am, five?'_ Roxas wasn't sure how to get Riku to confess to the stupid prank. If he could get him to slip up…

"I didn't mean it," Roxas replied. Whatever he had said. Well, Roxas didn't mean a lot of things he said. He hadn't meant to yell at Sora, after all. He had just been frustrated is all.

"Oh, you didn't?" Riku asked, taking a step closer to Roxas.

"C'mon Riku, where is he?" Roxas asked earnestly. Where WAS Sora? Riku must know. It was really irresponsible of him to pick right when Sora was sick to play a joke on him.

"Again with the Riku. Are you trying to offend me further?" Riku asked, turning his back on Roxas. He gazed out the open window, curtain whipping violently in the stormy wind.

"You know very well where he is," Riku replied quietly.

'_What? In the castle at the middle of the Labyrinth? I'm not that stupid, Riku.'_ "Bring him back, he's sick you know." Sora really shouldn't be up and about. How did he even get out of bed so fast?

"C'mon-" Roxas began, but was cut off by Riku's sharp words. "Roxas, go back to your room. Do your homework, listen to your ipod, forget about Sora," he insisted. Riku glanced at Roxas over his shoulder.

"Okay, cut the act Riku, where's Sora?" Roxas was getting tired of this game.

"I've brought you a gift," Riku said, turning around. He had produced an object roughly the size of a baseball seemingly out of nowhere. Riku rolled it across the back of his hand skillfully, never dropping it. Roxas' eye followed the orb.

"What is it?" Roxas asked, slightly captivated.

"It's a crystal," Riku explained, as if this were quite obvious. "Nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it," he rolled the crystal ball across his fingers, "It will show you your dreams." Riku held the sphere out to Roxas. Roxas tried to get a glimpse into it before it was snatched from his sight.

"But this isn't a gift for an ordinary boy, who takes care of an annoying brother." Riku said whimsically. He paced around the room a bit, looking rather bored. He stopped and looked sideways at Roxas. "Do you want it?"

Roxas was fixated on it. He slowly reached his hand towards the crystal, almost holding his breath. What would really be inside it? He pushed back the logical part of his mind that told him it was some gag thing Riku had picked up from that new age shop downtown and was now taunting him with it.

Riku withdrew his hand slightly as Roxas' fingers inched closer. "Then forget about Sora," he commanded, as his conditions for Roxas keeping the crystal.

Roxas snapped out of it. Forget Sora? No! Riku was being stupid. "I can't. Look, you're being a jackass. Wherever Sora went he's probably passed out or something," Roxas folded his arms across his chest. Did Riku not care about Sora's well being at all? Maybe Roxas was going to have to rethink how close he was going to let Riku get to Sora. He had seemed to be getting rather close as of lately.

"Roxas, don't defy me. You're no match for me," Riku replied, sauntering over to the window. His silvery hair was jostled by the wind as he gazed out the window.

Roxas suddenly felt rather nervous. His eyes darted about the room, convinced he was seeing shapes, or creatures or, or something. He tried to tell himself it was a trick of the moonlight, or that Riku had a flashlight he was flicking around while Roxas wasn't looking.

Then he saw it. An ugly, hairy looking thing similar to a really deformed dog with old leathery skin was perched on the bedpost of Sora's bed. Roxas jumped and his eyes fell on Sora's desk, where another creature was sitting. "Ah!" he yelped in surprise. Something grabbed his pantleg and tugged. Another creature on the bookshelf. One came out from under the rug.

Roxas' body seized up in fright and he looked back at Riku, the dull glow of sunrise illuminating his tall figure.

"I need my brother back!" Roxas shouted at him. Prank over! What was going on? Where was Sora?

"He's there in my castle," Riku informed Roxas. He gestured out the window, where Roxas could see the faint shape of a castle in the distance, surrounded by a twisting maze of walls rising from the ground.

Roxas inched towards the window and Riku nervously. He wasn't aware that the room as he knew it was ceasing to exist around him. "Is that…the," What was it? He should have paid more attention to the book. Oh! "The castle beyond the Goblin City?"

Riku pushed off from the branch he was suddenly leaning against. "Turn back, Roxas. Turn back before its too late," Riku warned him. In broad daylight, Riku appeared less threatening, and his features were softer. Almost alluring.

Roxas shook his head. "I can't," he stated simply. Roxas glanced around the room and jolted a little. It was no longer a room, but a rocky hilltop. The backside, disappearing into nowhere. Before him…the Labyrinth.

"What a pity," Riku said, another bored look crossing his face. He started down the hill, and Roxas followed him, tripping slightly over the roots and loose rock.

"It doesn't look that far," Roxas replied, refusing to yeild to Riku of all people.

"Its further than you think," Riku told him, taking a turn to the left, as if he actually knew where he was going. Roxas followed him closely.

"Time is short," Riku reminded him, stopping abruptly. Roxas nearly ran into him. Riku dangled an open pocket watch in front of his face. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth, before your brother becomes mine," he warned him, a smirk lighting up his face. "Such a pity," he said, gazing at Roxas' determined look.

Roxas crossed his arms defiantly, squeezing his eyes shut in an annoyed fashion. "The Labyrinth. It doesn't look that hard." Roxas opened one eye to see how Riku would react, only to find he was gone.

Roxas looked around. There was a wall directly in front of him, slightly damp and covered with moss. The wall stretched for miles to the left, and miles to the right. Roxas sighed, mildly frustrated already. Where did he even enter?

"Well…come on, feet," he said absently, turning to the right, then changing his mind and heading to the left.

* * *

Chapter two coming next week: "Into the Labyrinth: Got it Memorized?" 


	2. Into the Labyrinth: Got it Memorized?

After nearly a half hour of walking along the outer wall of the Labyrinth, Roxas was becoming rather frustrated. "How the hell do I solve this thing if I can't even get inside?" he asked aloud, running his hand along the weathered bricks. His eye caught a glimpse of something bright red down along the wall, and he began to walk a little faster.

Whatever it was…a person…a something…it was a thing that could help him, he was sure. Roxas' trot turned into a run until he reached the person squatting down along the wall.

"Excuse me!" Roxas called out, reaching out to tap the person on the shoulder. The figure stood and turned, several inches taller than him.

"Oh, excuse me! Oh…its you," they had what looked like a can of raid in their hand.

Roxas took a step back. "A-Axel?!" he asked, confusion and shock flashing across his face. What was Axel doing here? Was he trapped here, too?

"What are you doing here?" Roxas asked, not sure whether to remain confused, or be absolutely thrilled to see a familiar face.

Axel look curiously at Roxas as his arm was snatched by the shorter boy and he began to be dragged away. "C'mon, help me through this Labyrinth," Roxas insisted.

Something small flitted past his vision, and he stopped. Was that a…? Roxas squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He'd already seen enough stupid stuff today. Roxas tried to continue and pull Axel along, but Axel hindered his movement.

Another something flitted past his vision. Axel lifted his can of raid and sprayed at it. The small fairy flopped onto the ground, twitching a bit. "57!" Axel exclaimed, rather proudly.

Roxas bent down to look at the dead fairy. That was kind of gross. "How could you!" he asked, rather alarmed. "Poor thing." He looked up at Axel, who was stalking another fairy.

Roxas saw another fairy perched on a nearby plant. He scooped it up into his hands to inspect it. The little wings fluttered, and its golden hair lay about its head in pretty little curls. "Aw...its kind of-OW!" Roxas exclaimed, dropping it on the ground abruptly. The fairy flitted away. Roxas was sure he could hear it giggling madly.

"It bit me!" Roxas whined, turning towards Axel with a pout. Axel didn't appear to be phased.

"What did you expect fairies to do?" Axel asked, approaching one that was perched on the petals of a flower. He readied his raid can and advanced upon it.

Roxas watched, a mild look of disgust crossing his face. "I thought they did nice things like granting wishes and stuff," he muttered. He vaguely wondered in the back of his mind if this is the approach Axel took to killing all kinds of bugs.

"Shows what you know, don't it?" Axel replied, squirting another fairy rather enthusiastically. "58!"

"You're gross," Roxas said with a frown. It was becoming mildly disturbing. He tried to push thoughts of Axel spraying small dogs in the face with aerosol cans for his own amusement out of his head.

"No I'm not, I'm Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" he winked at Roxas, then carefully started after another fairy.

Roxas almost gagged at the tagline that Axel had robotically recited since junior high. He'd always thought it was cheesy. Add how stupid Axel looked stalking fairies right now, Roxas really was not impressed.

"Who are you?" Axel asked suddenly, straightening up and looking at Roxas.

Roxas took a step back. He wasn't sure if he should be hurt or just plain confused. "What do you mean? It's me, Roxas," he said quietly.

"That's what I thought," he replied, spraying at another fairy. It dropped to the ground. "59!"

Roxas didn't get it. He searched Axel's face for any indication that he really was Axel, or some kind of…alternate personality. He acted like he didn't know Roxas…or like he only vaguely remembered him.

"Uh, Axel?" Roxas asked cautiously, taking a step forward.

"Hmmm?" Axel asked, turning his attention from the fairy he was cornering. The blonde boy was slowly approaching him, and he felt that he should probably step back, but he didn't. It wasn't like the kid was threatening. He was just…different. He thought he wasn't supposed to embrace different. That he wasn't supposed to give in to those who tried to intrude into the Labyrinth. Right?

"Are you really Axel?" Roxas asked, picking up his hand that dangled at his side. He turned the palm over and ran his finger along the lines etched into it.

Axel blinked. "Of course. Didn't I tell you? A-X-"

"I know!" Roxas interrupted him. Damn catchphrase. "I mean, are you Axel, like MY Axel, or are you…?" These looked like his hands, that was his face, those were his eyes.

"I wasn't aware I belonged to anyone?" Axel asked, confused. What was this kid getting at?

"Uh," Roxas stuttered, face flushing a little. "I-I didn't mean…" he had meant it innocently, but now he felt dumb. Axel cocked an eyebrow at him.

"D-Do you know where the door to the Labyrinth is?" Roxas said, dropping Axel's hand as if it were on fire and turning his attention to the Labyrinth walls.

Axel shrugged. "Maybe," he replied.

"Well, where is it?" Roxas asked. Was Axel going to be a jerk about it?!

Axel had begun to concentrate once again on mercilessly extinguishing the fairies. "60!" he announced triumphantly.

Roxas felt ignored. "I said where is it!" he demanded rather childishly.

"Where is what?" Axel, not turning to pay attention to Roxas.

"The door!"

"What door?"

Roxas folded his arms across his chest. "Its hopeless," he huffed, annoyed. He stepped back a moment later when Axel's face appeared in his direct line of vision. "Not if you ask the right questions!" he hinted, a smile planted on his face. Axel wasn't quite sure yet why he felt like helping Roxas, but he just did. As long as Riku didn't find out…

"How do I get into the Labyrinth?" Roxas asked after a moment.

"Ah!" Axel exclaimed, tapping Roxas on the nose. "Now that's more like it!" He stood up and grinned. "You get in there," he pointed to a large door that was emerging from the solid brick Labyrinth wall.

Roxas jumped a little, staring down the heavy door that had opened for him. He took a step towards it and looked back at Axel, calmly holding his can of raid. "You really going in there, are you?" he asked. Roxas thought he saw a look of concern flash across his face.

"Yes," Roxas replied slowly. "I'm afraid I have to." He had to get Sora back. Sora was in no condition to rescue himself. At full health, no problem, but as sick as he was, no way. "Want to come with?" he asked Axel hopefully. If he couldn't spend his night with the real Axel, he could at least spend the horrible time in this stupid maze with him.

Axel leaned against the door of the Labyrinth, that carefree smile of his neatly in place. It was clear he wasn't going anywhere. Roxas sighed, stepping into the Labyrinth. _'Finally inside. Now where to?'_ The path disappeared to the left, and again to the right.

"Cozy, isn't it?" Axel commented with a little chuckle. "Now, would you go left or right?"

"They both look the same!" Roxas whined. His legs were going to fall apart from walking before he solved this thing.

"You're not going to get very far," Axel teased, pushing off the wall and shaking his can of raid, as if he were preparing for another onslaught of fairy massacres.

"How would you go?" Roxas growled at him.

"Me? I wouldn't go either way," Axel replied, shrugging.

Roxas was fed up with Axel's snide comments. He wanted him to come with! Or at least to be a little more helpful! Not tiptoe around the subject so much.

"If that's all you'll say, then you can leave," Roxas turned his back on Axel, if only so he didn't see him pout a little about the situation.

"You know your problem? You take too much for granted," Axel informed him. "Take this Labyrinth," he used as an example, patting the wall before him almost fondly. "Even if you reach the center, you'll never get out again."

"That's your opinion," Roxas said defiantly, turning to the left, then changing his mind and turning to the right.

"Its much better than yours," Axel replied in a singsong voice, chuckling as he disappeared behind the outer wall of the Labyrinth.

"Thanks for nothing, Axel," Roxas muttered, starting down the path to the right.

Axel hit a fairy with a particularly large burst from his can. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he muttered. _'I wonder if he'll be alright.'_

Roxas continued on, slowly at first, figuring he'd take the first opening he saw. However, an opening never presented itself. The Labyrinth hadn't looked THAT big from atop the hill, not so big that he wouldn't find an opening for miles. Was it?

Roxas checked his watch. Ugh, he'd already wasted an hour! Thoughts of Sora kept bombarding him. How he'd treated him, while he was sick no less. His poor brother was still sick now, holed up in that castle with Riku (or whoever he was). It wasn't that he didn't trust Riku at all, but Axel had been no real indication that anyone was who they seemed, and Roxas worried for Sora's condition.

"What do they mean 'Labyrinth'? There aren't any turns or corners or anything!" Roxas said, frustrated. He picked up his pace to a jog, hopping over the fallen branches and bricks here and there. It wasn't like he had all the time in the world! He started to run a bit faster. Wall on the left, wall on the right! "This just goes on and on!"

Roxas stopped to catch his breath, leaning against the cool brick. "Maybe it doesn't," he muttered sarcastically. "Maybe I'm just taking for granted that it does." What was Axel even implying with that statement? Roxas covered his face. He didn't want to try to figure out stupid riddles right now.

"'Ello," a voice said suddenly. Roxas jumped and looked around. It wasn't a moment before he spotted a tiny, fuzzy looking worm inching along a small ledge in the wall.

"Did you just say hello?" Roxas asked incredulously. Did a bug just TALK to him? Bizarre.

"No, I said 'ello', but that's close enough." the worm replied.

Roxas wasn't sure if he should be grossed out or not. The thing was purple and blue and…definitely not normal. "You're a…worm. Aren't you?" He wasn't sure what else it could be, really.

"Yeah, that's right," the worm replied happily.

Well. It was worth a shot. "Do you know the way through this Labyrinth?"

"No. I'm just a worm," the worm replied. Roxas sighed. Maybe it wasn't worth wasting the breath.

"Come and meet the missus," the worm offered, gesturing with his body towards a tiny crack in the wall. Roxas raised an eyebrow. Uh huh. Him, go inside a tiny crack. Not likely.

"No thanks, I have to solve this Labyrinth," he replied, standing up. He felt defeated already. "There aren't any turns or openings. It just goes on and on."

The worm could be heard chuckling lightly. "Its full of openings. You just ain't seein' them," the worm informed him.

Roxas whirled around to face him. "Where are they?!" he demanded rather abruptly.

The worm wasn't phased at all. "There's one right in front of you."

Roxas turned, hoping that a magical opening had popped out of nowhere just like the door. He frowned upon discovering it was only the brick wall he had been staring at earlier. "No there isn't."

"Come inside and have some tea," the worm insisted on inviting Roxas into his little nook.

"But there isn't an opening!" Roxas argued. Apparently everything in this world was as dumb as the next thing. He hated these little mind and word games.

"Of course there is," the worm said calmly. "Try walking through it. You'll see what I mean."

"What?!" Roxas huffed. Walking through a brick wall was the stupidest idea he'd ever heard. Did the worm intend to laugh as he ran headlong into it?

"Go on then," the worm urged, no impatience in his voice whatsoever.

"That's just a wall! There's no way through!" Roxas refused to give up on the logical part of him that didn't want to try and walk through a wall.

"Things aren't always as they seem. So you can't take anything for granted." The same thing Axel had warned him about. But it didn't make sense.

Roxas groaned, figuring he could at least humor the worm by attempting to walk directly through a wall. He stuck his hand out in front of him, anticipating the cold, rough brick under his fingers, and stumbling just a little when he hand passed through only air. "Hey!" Roxas exclaimed, taking an eager step forward into the newly discovered opening.

"Hey, hang on!" the worm called urgently. Roxas ignored him in his excitement. Finally! Getting somewhere.

"Thanks! That was incredibly helpful!" Roxas said, disappearing to the left.

"But don't go that way!" the worm shouted. Roxas' head appeared from behind the wall a moment later.

"What was that?" he asked, curiously. He wasn't dumb enough to not heed a warning. Of course.

"Don't go that way. NEVER go that way!" the worm cautioned rather sternly.

"Oh," Roxas replied. He wondered why not. It made him want to go that way all the more. "Thanks, I guess," he replied, deciding to play it safe. He turned heel and headed the other direction.

The worm watched Roxas disappear and sighed in relief. "If he had kept on going down that way, he would have gone straight to that awful castle!"

* * *

Next time, Chapter three! "True Lies: I am the Goblin King!" and the reappearance of Riku and Sora. D 


	3. True Lies: I am the Goblin King!

Sora woke up with a groan. His bed was really being rather uncomfortable. Last thing he remembered, he had asked Roxas to get him some water. Either Sora figured Roxas had walked out of the room and ignored him, or he'd fallen asleep before Roxas arrived back.

Sora opened his eyes slowly, suppressing a cough. Maybe if he stopped coughing, Roxas wouldn't be so annoyed. Sora hadn't meant to be a burden on him. He had insisted to Father that he would be fine on his own. Roxas didn't seem interested in taking care of him, in fact, he had shouted at him.

Geeze, uncomfortable bed. He felt like he was practically lying on cement. Cold cement. Sora blinked and tried to focus on what was in his line of vision. He saw rock, a lot of rock, and a pair of crossed legs, one foot bouncing up and down rather impatiently.

Sora made an attempt to sit up, royally confused about his whereabouts. He was in some kind of…throne room? That was what it resembled. A heavily decorated room of brick. The colors were somehow bright, yet dreary all at the same time. Sora felt the tickle rise in his chest, and he couldn't hold it back. Burying his face in his arm, he coughed rather violently.

"Are you sick?" a voice asked, echoing off the stone walls and bouncing about the tapestries in the room. Sora followed the tap-tapping foot upwards.

"Ri-" Sora inhaled too quickly and choked on his words, letting himself cough them out once again.

"Riku?" he squeaked out after a moment. It WAS his best friend. Dressed…really oddly to boot. Sora couldn't help but stare directly at his unnecessarily tight pants. He vaguely wondered if he could even move in those things. His shirt was a little too much, flounces and frills and whatever those ruffles were on the sleeve. The dark fabric complimented his hair, and the front lay open, partially exposing his chest, but that was nearly it. A long, dark robe sat on his shoulders, and spilled over the edge of the chair, onto the floor. Sora's eyes eventually fixated on the bored look he had across his face.

"I see you realize who I am, then," Riku said, shifting in his chair a little, propping his head up with his elbow resting on the arm of the chair. "What's your name?" he asked, with a little nod. He looked as if he were being careful to only show the smallest amount of interest.

Sora was clearly confused. He managed to sit up, feeling slightly dizzy as he did so. He shivered. It was drafty, and this place didn't hardly appear to have indoor heating. Not to mention he was on the floor. "Come on, Riku. Its me, Sora," he said. In the back of his mind, he was a little offended that Riku would forget him.

"You remind me as if we've met. I'm only keeping you at your brother's request. He asked for you to be taken away, and here you are. Away," Riku shrugged and uncrossed his legs, standing up and stretching a bit.

"Roxas did?" Sora asked in disbelief. He shook his head slowly, unable to really believe that Roxas would want something like that.

Riku shrugged, and squatted down so he was eye level with Sora. Sora didn't look too good, with his eyes barely open and his face flushed. He sniffled a little, seemingly to complete the effect. "How could he, really? Wish such a terrible thing, with you in such a terrible state?" Riku pushed some of Sora's hair aside, and his fingers brushed the burning skin on his forehead.

Sora felt his face heat up even more. This person looked like Riku, even smirked like him. He was rude and kind of arrogant, too. Yet, not all the pieces fit together.

Sora coughed a little, and with much effort, slowly pulled himself into a standing position. He wobbled a little bit on his feet, yet stared determinedly down at Riku. "I want you to explain to me. Everything. Who are you, really? Where are we and where is Roxas!"

Riku stood up, a curious look crossing his face. This kid really reminded him of someone. He couldn't place it, but he felt familiar to him. Especially those intense eyes, that Riku couldn't seem to tear his gaze from. Sora did seem to know him, yet now he was contradicting himself. "You said so yourself, that I'm Riku. I'm the Goblin King, and your brother has personally wished your presence here," he held out his arms to indicated the entirety of the room and immediate surrounding areas, "my castle, beyond the Goblin city, at the very center of my Labyrinth." Riku paused to make sure Sora was getting it.

Sora wasn't getting it. It sounded like a fantasy story to him. Goblin King? "Am I dreaming?" Sora asked, very seriously. He moved to pinch himself, but Riku caught his hand.

"I'm sure you wish you were," Riku said. "But I'm sorry, Sora. This isn't a dream," he carefully took Sora's arm and led him towards the throne like structure he had previously been seated in. "You're really here with me, and Roxas is really out there, impossibly lost in my Labyrinth, trying to reach you."

"But…how can it…you aren't…I don't see any Goblins!" Sora protested, in a last ditch effort to let this make believe nonsense stay unmade inside his head.

"Oh?" Riku asked, gently pushing Sora into a seated position. Riku's chair was big enough for two people to practically sit in, and although it appeared to be made of stone, was littered with pillows and some sort of soft fur. It was loads more comfortable than the floor, in any case.

Riku leaned over until his nose was inches from Sora's. "Then you aren't looking hard enough," he said, with a grin. Riku stood, whipping the robe from around his shoulders. He draped it neatly around Sora.

Sora looked up at Riku, searching his face for some last indication that this was a joke, but there was none. As Riku stepped away from him, the room was suddenly filled with small creatures, fuzzy and leathery and lying about. Some in small groups, gambling with dice or drinking merrily. Sora curled up in the chair, pulling the robe close around him. He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing Riku's laughter echo in his ears.

'_Roxas, what is going on? Please come soon.'_

Roxas was quite busy working his way through the Labyrinth, or so he thought. He had tucked the red sharpie inside his pocket earlier that night, and was now rather thankful for it. He stopped at a turn, and stooped to draw a large red arrow on one of the bricks. He continued to do this several times, going along where he pleased, sure his plan was foolproof.

'_I swear I've seen that bush before,'_ he thought, scanning the ground. He hadn't marked anywhere, so he shook his head and figured he must be imagining things. Not hard, considering the environment. He crouched down and drew an arrow on the ground, capping the pen and continuing on.

Roxas stopped next to the familiar bush. _'I SWEAR…'_ His ear caught a rustling behind him, and a scraping of brick. He turned quickly, but there was nothing there.

Roxas spotted the arrow on the ground. It was flipped the complete opposite way! "Someone has been changing my marks!" he exclaimed, looking at the sharpie. He chucked it at the flipped brick in frustration. "What a horrible place! Its not fair!" Could anyone give him a BREAK?!

"That's right! Its not fair," said a voice behind him. Roxas abruptly whirled around and was shocked to see a pair of doors had suddenly appeared. He stared at them curiously. The door on the left was guarded by a blue guard, while the right door was protected by one that was red in color.

Roxas approached them very cautiously. He was starting to become less phased by the weirdness of the Labyrinth. They weren't really guards even, they were…creatures. Creatures hiding behind giant shields. Roxas wasn't sure where to look; at the bottom, where he could see the top of a head and a pair of feet, or the top, where he could see another head and a foot there as well.

"That's only the half of it!" exclaimed the head from the bottom of the red door, making Roxas jump just a little as all four heads erupted into laughter.

Something suddenly occurred to him and he lifted an eyebrow. "This was a dead end just a minute ago," he said, expressing his annoyance at the changing scenery.

The head at the bottom of the blue door popped out. "No! That's the dead end behind you!" he said, and all four fell into a fit of giggles once again.

Roxas turned around slowly and frowned. Damnit! "It keeps changing!" he yelled at the area that was once an opening. "What am I supposed to do?" he growled angrily at the doors. They cowered behind their shields just a bit.

"Try one of these doors," bottom red suggested, peaking out from behind the shield. Bottom blue followed suit. "One of them leads to the castle," he informed Roxas. "And the other leads to-"

"BUM BUM BUMMMMM!!!" his top counterpart suddenly popped up and shouted.

"CERTAIN DEATH!" Bottom blue finished, and their eyes darted about with a chorus of foreboding "Ooooooooooo!"s.

Roxas was not impressed, nor was he frightened. "Which one is which?" he demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

The bottom creatures looked at each other in a consulting fashion. "We can't tell you," Red decided.

Oh. Lots of help they were. Just like everything else in this stupid Labyrinth. "Why not?" Roxas yelled, taking up an offensive stance. Should he just punch them both in the face, open each door, and try them both?

"Uh…uh…" Bottom red searched for the words, looking at Blue for help. "We don't know!" he pronounced.

Roxas hit himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand. Good grief. He looked over his shoulders, deciding that any other way was probably better. To his dismay, he was completely boxed in.

"But THEY do," Bottom blue suddenly chimed in.

Roxas turned his attention back to the guards. "O…kay. Then I'll ask them?" What was the point? Weren't they all the same creature?

The two top heads shyly rose above the red and blue shields. They looked at each other a little nervously. "Uh…y-you can only ask one of us!" Red said defiantly.

"Its in the rules!" Blue chimed in. "But I'll warn you, one of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies!"

GREAT. Roxas HATED riddles with a passion. Sora loved them. When they had to read 'The Hobbit' in middle school? Sora had LOVED it. He'd gone on the internet to look up new riddles just to be annoying, Roxas was sure. Sora was good at riddles. If only Sora were here now. But Sora was the thing Roxas was trying to get to. Roxas sighed dejectedly.

"He always lies," Blue nodded towards Red.

"I do not! I tell the truth!" Red protested.

"Oh, what a lie!" Blue spat back. Laughter echoed from the hidden heads below.

Roxas swore he heard this riddle before. One of the ones Sora had given him. Roxas furrowed his brow and rubbed his face, trying to stay calm and collected. He could hear all four guards snickering at him.

Roxas approached one of the doors. Red, to be exact. "Answer yes or no," he commanded it. He could totally figure this out. "Would…would HE tell me," he pointed to Blue, "that…THIS door leads to the castle?"

"Uh…" Red said, ducking beneath the shield. He consulted his other half in hushed tones. "Yes!" he decided.

So then… "Then the other door leads to the castle…and THIS door leads to certain death!" Victory! Sora would be proud.

"He could be telling the truth," Red reminded him.

Roxas shook his head. "But then you wouldn't be. So if you said he said yes, the answer would be no."

"I could be telling the truth?" Red tried.

Roxas was done. "Then he'd be lying. The answer would still be no," he replied impatiently.

"Is that right?" Red asked Blue for confirmation. Blue just laughed. "I don't know, I've never understood it!"

"Its right! I figured it out!" Roxas said, pushing the blue guard to the side. The door opened before him and he hesitated only a little.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he stepped through. "I couldn't do it before, but maybe I'm getting smarter!" Roxas laughed a little and waved behind him to the guards. He started down the path. "It's a piece of caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake-!"

A hole opened up beneath him and he dropped straight through, the light disappearing above him.

* * *

Next comes our first parody in chapter four! "Alli Esta! Las Plagas!"

PS: I changed the title of the fic not wanting people to avoid it because it sounded childish or something. I only named it that because the person it was written for wanted it named that.


	4. Alli Esta! Las Plagas!

Roxas was jolted awake by the closing of a car door. He looked around. Oh! He had fallen through that tunnel! …into the backseat of a truck? Roxas rubbed his eyes. It made no sense whatsoever. He moved his limbs a bit, wondering why he didn't feel sore from falling.

He noticed that there was a photograph in his hand. It was a picture of Sora. Roxas rubbed his eyes again, and brought the picture up to his face. Sora was smiling, which made the corners of Roxas' mouth turn up just a bit.

"Sorry it took so long," said the man in the front who had just gotten in the truck. He latched his seatbelt, and the driver started up the truck. They crossed a rather rickety bridge slowly.

"Just up ahead is the village," the man driving the truck rolled it to a gentle stop. They both had thick Spanish accents, and as far as Roxas could see, were in some kind of uniform.

The car sat for a moment, until both men turned to look at Roxas expectantly. What did they want him to do? "I'll uh…go have a look around?" Roxas said uncertainly, opening the door. This seemed to satisfy them and they both turned back towards the front.

"We'll stay and watch the car," the passenger said, with a little chuckle. "Don't want to get any parking tickets." The driver laughed at his joke.

"Right…parking tickets," Roxas said nervously as he stepped out of the car. It was a little bit chilly, so he pulled his leather and sheepskin jacket tighter around him. It clanked against the straps around his arms. He opened the jacket again to look down at himself. He was wearing a pretty heavy duty belt, with pouches and pockets he had no idea what they contained. Roxas noticed a knife in the shoulder strap.

"Good luck," one of the men said, jolting him out of his exploration of his own belongings. Good luck? He wasn't sure why he needed luck, but he wasn't happy he did.

Roxas looked back at the truck. "Geeze, who are these guys?" he muttered.

The guy rolled down his window. "Did you say something?" he asked. Roxas shook his head and closed the truck door, looking around. His belt suddenly began making a crackling, buzzing noise and he pushed his coat aside to look.

Ah, there was a radio there. He pulled it out of its case and looked at it curiously. The little screen was flashing 'Incoming Transmission.' He fiddled with the buttons a little and suddenly Zexion's expressionless face appeared.

"Roxas," his voice came out of the speaker. "I hope you can hear me. I'll be your support on this mission," he informed him, as if it were rather important.

Mission? What mission?! He looked at the photograph in his hand and turned it over. It read 'subject: Sora.' To rescue, right? Was this part of the Labyrinth, too? "Loud and clear," he replied to Zexion. "Is this still…or, I thought…" he looked at the photo again. "So…the subject is Sora?"

"That's right," Zexion replied. "He's the son of the President, so try and behave yourself, okay?"

Last time Roxas checked, his Father wasn't the president. Well…the President of the PTA maybe. But that was hardly important enough for an elaborate rescue mission with a cool jacket and a knife.

It was Sora who was in trouble, though. "Either way, they picked the wrong guy to kidnap." Roxas replied firmly.

"I'll try to find more information on them from my end as well," Zexion promised.

"Good," Roxas said into the radio, rather determinedly. Zexion looked like he didn't have much else to add. "Talk to you later," Roxas ended their conversation awkwardly. "Uh…Roxas out," he added as an afterthought, before turning the radio off and shoving it back in its holder.

Roxas took a look around and started slowly down the path he had spotted previously. It was quiet, the only thing he could hear was a bit of wind and the leaves rustling. He gulped a little, feeling a shiver inside of him. After a little distance, he saw a house on the left. It looked incredibly shabby, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to go inside and ask whoever was living there if they knew anything.

Roxas climbed the rickety steps and saw that the door was open just a crack. He pushed it open all the way and walked inside cautiously, hearing every creak of the rotting wood under his feet. Everything looked so dirty and diseased, he was close to covering his nose in disgust. He heard the crackling of flames from the nearby living room, and heard the deep coughing of a man stoking the fire.

Roxas approached him cautiously, careful not to alarm him. "Uh, excuse me. Sir?" Roxas gripped the photo of Sora in his fingers.

The man stood erect and turned around ever so slowly. Roxas had to keep himself from withdrawing at the dirtiness and horrendousness of his face. "I was wondering if you might recognize the guy in this photograph?" he asked, holding it out towards him.

The dirty man looked from the photo to Roxas' face. He shouted something at him gruffly, waving his hands towards the door. Roxas recognized it as Spanish, but like hell he had ever paid attention in the little bit of Spanish he had taken freshman year. The only words he recognized were 'what' and 'here'.

Roxas backed off from the angry man and put his hands up defensively. "Sorry to have bothered you," he said. The man turned back to the fireplace, disgruntled. Roxas pocketed the photo of Sora for safekeeping, and out of the corner of his eye, watched the man pick up the axe. He thought nothing of it, until the man suddenly lurched at him, swinging the axe wildly.

"Ah!" Roxas yelled, ducking out of the way as fast as possible. He backed up almost to the window. He dropped his hands, scared as the man recovered from his missed swing. Roxas' hand brushed against the holster on his leg and he looked down.

Gun? GUN?! Why the hell was he carrying a handgun? Roxas looked back up, and saw the man advancing on him ever so slowly, axe poised to strike. With no time to think, he reached down and took up the gun clumsily, pointing it at the man.

"FREEZE!" Roxas shouted. The grizzled man continued to advance, the intent in his eyes rather obvious. "I said, freeze!" Roxas cocked the gun to try and make his point.

It didn't seem to phase the man. In fact, he suddenly picked up speed, throwing his arm back as if he were about to throw the axe at Roxas.

Roxas pointed down and shot the man in the leg. He was surprised his hand was so steady, and even more shocked that he actually landed the hit. The man made a gurgled noise, but did not fall. In fact, he grabbed his leg only for a second, before straightening back up again to attempt to hurl the axe.

Hands still stinging from the recoil, Roxas quickly cocked and shot again, this time in the stomach. The man made another injured groan, but continued to advance. Roxas squeezed his eyes shut and shot at his head. When he'd opened his eyes again, the man lay still on the ground.

Roxas had zero time to process the situation. He was experiencing a mild case of hyperventilation, his heart beating wildly in his chest, hands trembling in disbelief. The sound of a truck starting outside made him jump and dash to the window, bending to look through the broken blinds. A truck careened from the path he had been on, and he heard gunfire, before it crashed into the officer's truck and ran it off the road. There was shouting and Roxas glimpsed a man standing in the yard. He yelled something that Roxas understood as 'There he is!'

"Shit!" Roxas whipped around, in full panic mode. His radio suddenly buzzed again, and he ripped it from its case, thrilled to see Zexion's face.

"Everything okay?" Zexion asked, rather calmly, but with the tiniest urgent undertone.

'_Everything is absolutely NOT OKAY!!!'_ Roxas wanted to scream at him. "T-there was a hostile local. I had no choice but to neutralize him. There are still others surrounding the area."

"Get out of there and head toward the village. Take whatever means necessary to save the subject," Zexion demanded.

"U-understood," Roxas sputtered, shoving the radio back into his pocket. He spotted a staircase and made a mad dash towards it, taking the steps two at a time. The bedroom upstairs was even more disgusting than the downstairs. A red box sitting on the nightstand caught his eye, and he picked it up. It read 'Handgun Ammo' on the front. Thank God that guy had only come at him with an axe and not a handgun. Roxas looked at the gun in his own hand, and figured the man downstairs didn't need it anymore. He pocketed the bullets in one of his many pouches.

Roxas cautiously approached the window to look out. Three men were lurking in the yard, seemingly uncertain as to whether they wanted to enter the house or not. Roxas tried to control his breathing as he stood at the windowsill and decided what to do. He needed to get to Sora, and if everyone down there was in his way then…he looked at his handgun.

Roxas took a deep breath and pulled out his knife, using it to break the window. Surprise attack from above, best choice. He climbed out of the window and dropped off the roof as fast as he could, rolling upon impact with the ground to lessen the shock of landing. He immediately sprung to his feet and wondered how the HELL he suddenly had these kinds of instincts and skills. Roxas was immediately assaulted by a man with a pitchfork. He lifted his gun and shot him in the head as precisely as he could. It seemed to be precise enough, because at such close range, the man's entire head exploded. His lifeless body walked a step or two before collapsing onto the ground.

Roxas hardly had time to watch in horror as the man's body disintegrated into a gurgling, sputtering mess, leaving only some cash he had been carrying behind. A second man lurched at him with an axe, and he ducked, backing up swiftly and firing on both him and the man armed with a sickle next to him. They dropped to the ground in a matter of seconds, and Roxas waited a moment to catch his breath.

Sweating and shaking just a bit, Roxas pulled out the box of ammo he had taken, and reloaded his handgun. As he passed what once were the dead bodies, his eye caught sight of the dropped cash coins. He looked around, and finally decided to stoop and pick them up. Not like those guys would be needing them, anyway.

Roxas shivered again at the cold breeze, cautiously making his way along the path. He felt as if he was already going to be traumatized for life because of this experience. If this was somehow Riku's fault, he would be cruisin' for a bruisin' when this was all said and done.

Roxas passed a shack and stepped inside carefully. It was small, and smelled atrocious. He lowered his gun just a little, and pulled out his knife, curiously knifing open one of the boxes on the small table. He was surprised to see another box of ammunition, and decided to take it. There was also a curious little plant hidden away. It looked suspiciously like some kind of drug, but also suspiciously like a mildly medicinal plant that Axel's parents grew in their home herb garden. He picked a few of the leaves and stuffed them in his pocket anyway. Couldn't hurt.

Roxas turned to leave and was suddenly face to face with the corpse of a woman, hoisted onto the wall and impaled through the head. He covered his mouth as he caught sight of what was left of her face, and hurried out of the shack. _'Disgusting!'_

Roxas hurried along the path a little faster, spotting another shack up ahead. He hoped there was something inside of there he could pick up as well. He felt no shame in the stealing, these people had tried to murder him for frick's sake! Roxas stopped short when he saw something move inside the shack. He crept along the rock wall and held his breath, aiming inside the window. The man inside was swaying back and forth. Roxas held his hand steady and shot. The man fell with a strangled cry, and Roxas heard the sound of his body falling to pieces. He let out his breath and proceeded into the shack, checking every corner.

Roxas got a bit more into it as he took out three men waiting for him on the bridge ahead. The whole thing was like a never-ending adrenaline rush. As he turned the corner, three men on a ridge above were alerted to his presence, and ran off before he could shoot any of them. He saw the village up ahead and gulped, darting behind trees and whatnot, so as not to blow his cover.

He heard his radio buzz once again and he snatched it up quickly.

"Roxas, how are you holding up?" Zexion asked flatly.

Apparently, emotional support wasn't the kind of support Zexion was going to offer on this 'mission.' "Bad question, Zexion," Roxas replied.

"Sorry to hear that," Zexion said, not the least bit of concern in his voice. "I'm sending you some bits of information. Hope you find it useful."

"Uh, thanks," Roxas replied, cutting off the transmission and scanning through the advice Zexion had sent him. Things like 'Don't walk, run!', 'Watch your back at all times.', and 'Shoot them in the head.', didn't exactly seem like golden nuggets of wisdom to him. He stuffed the radio back in its place.

'_This is retarded. I feel like a secret agent in a frickin video game or something,'_ he thought in an irritated fashion. Roxas squinted at the open doors to the village, and groped around on his belt. Finding a pair of binoculars, he held them to his face and zoomed in on what looked like…

Ah! Roxas almost dropped the binoculars. It was one of the men that was in the truck with him only minutes ago! His body had been skewered and he had been raised up, now engulfed in flames as the villagers calmly went about their chores around him. Roxas felt mildly sick to his stomach.

Roxas hastily put his binoculars away and kept low, creeping around. He couldn't just charge straight in there, everyone would see him. Roxas didn't fancy an axe to the head. He spotted a small path to the left and darted into it, walking slowly and cautiously. _'Whats the plan Roxas, there's gotta be some kind of gameplan, yeah? This feels like…some sort of movie or…video game?'_ A game! What if it was a game!? A game that was part of the Labyrinth? Yeah! Once he cleared this game, then he'd be able to rescue Sora!

Roxas hardened his resolve. Now that the thought of it as a game-no. He KNEW it was a game, he could play without holding back. It didn't matter if the people got shot in the head, anyway.

Roxas spotted a woman nearby shoveling hay. Alright, logically all he had to do was kill everyone in his area, to move onto the next area. Seemed simple enough, if not for the massive amount of people he had seen in the village. Well, he had to start somewhere. He pointed his gun at the unsuspecting woman, inching a bit closer behind the cover of a house.

Roxas shot her in the back. This seemed to alert her to his presence, and she turned around slowly, her pitchfork immediately becoming a threatening weapon. Roxas pointed the handgun at her and waited for her to come closer. After a second, he heard a deep groaning from beside him, and turned to be confronted by a man in a lopsided straw hat. Roxas jumped a bit and fired on him. He went down temporarily, but there were two more behind him! Roxas backed up and looked around frantically. Pitchfork lady was still coming, too! "Damnit!"_'Gameplan, gameplan, what do I do?'_ Roxas thought. There must be some strategy!

Without thinking, Roxas rushed for the house in front of him, kicking the door open. He slammed it behind him and snatched a box of ammunition that he passed. Roxas tried to control his breathing, backing himself into a corner. _'Gotta keep my back covered,'_ he reminded himself, remembering the advice Zexion had sent him. There was a banging from the window on his right, as two villagers tried to get in. "Who ARE these people?" They would break the window soon, Roxas knew it. Until it was broken, he focused on the door, trying to shut out the screams of the villagers, crying 'There he is!' and 'Kill him!'

In a matter of minutes, the window finally broke, and Roxas pivoted swiftly from side to side, door to window, gunning down anyone that dared to come near him. After a while, they stopped coming inside, though he could hear the footsteps, the breathing, the growling. He waited quietly, for what seemed like hours for them to come. "What are they planning?" he whispered under his breath suspiciously.

Just as Roxas was wondering if he should venture outside the house again, he jolted a little at the loud bonging of a bell nearby. He distinctly heard the clanging of weapons hitting the ground, and of shuffling feet, and muttering of the villagers. Roxas kicked open the door and watched the back of the last villager retreat into what looked like a church.

"Where's everyone going? Bingo?!" What the hell? He thought you were supposed to kill everyone before the level was over?! Apparently not. He stood there, kind of unsure of what to do.

Roxas picked up his radio. Zexion must be somewhat like the help menu, yeah? He fiddled with the buttons until Zexion's face appeared. "Zexion, I have some bad news," he began, and continued when Zexion appeared to be listening. "I've confirmed the body of an…officer? Yeah. Something's happened to the people here. Its really weird stuff."

"Roxas, you need to get out of there," Zexion instructed. "Look for a tower, follow the trail near it."

YES! Leaving this village was EXACTLY what he wanted to do. He put the radio back and took a quick glance around. Yeah, he should definitely raid all those houses first. He took a few minutes to pick up anything that would fit in his pockets, along with a shotgun that he managed to artfully strap to his belt. Grenade? Hells yes.

He found the tower that Zexion spoke of and took off in that direction, stopping at the houses along the way. Inside one of them, he found a letter tacked to the wall. It was from the chief of the village, and included a description of his own identity, and pictures of himself. Roxas shook off the foreboding feeling he was getting, and opened the heavy door at the end of the path that was engraved with a creepy cult symbol.

Unfortunately, this path only lead him to another village, another onslaught of hissing, groaning enemies. Even after, he came across yet another village, only this time, the villagers had some kind of explosive. He hid, fearing for his limbs should the disgruntled men throw those sticks of dynamite any closer. If he could just…yes! He waited until he saw the man light it, and shot, and shot, and shot, preventing him from throwing the stick. Eventually, it just exploded in his hand, spraying the remnants of his body on the nearby plants and houses.

Roxas took a deep breath, convinced it was time for him to move on to the next village. That was just when he heard it, a deafening banging noise coming from one of the nearby houses. He reloaded his handgun, and crept inside cautiously. The banging increased as he ventured deeper into the house. Not really paying attention to where he was going, he felt his body hit a wire of some sort. "Eh?" he said, looking down at his hip that was tugging on the strain of the taught wire. He followed the line to a red box mounted on the wall, that was blinking furiously. His face fell. "Shi-

BOOM! Roxas was thrown back against the wall. "Owwww…" he whined, picking himself up off the floor. Geeze, that hurt. He checked his face to make sure his eyebrows hadn't been singed off. The incessant banging continued, and Roxas looked around. Hm. He spotted an opening, blocked only by a measly bookshelf. He moved to push it out of the way, decided he was too frustrated, and just kicked it until it fell to pieces.

Roxas stalked into the room and looked around. The banging was coming from a large wardrobe in the corner. The person inside was practically breaking down the doors. They didn't particularly look like they needed Roxas' help to get out, but he reached over and flipped the lock on the wardrobe anyway.

The occupant came tumbling out in a jumbled mess, bound and gagged by duct tape. Roxas recognized him immediately.

"AXEL!?" How had Axel changed characters in this…in this…what? Story? What character was he playing now, still the goblin from the beginning of the Labyrinth?

Axel wiggled a little bit in his bonds and mumbled something frantically from behind his duct tape.

"Oh, uh," Roxas said, putting his gun away and quickly ripping the tape off of Axel's mouth.

"AH!" Axel shouted. "A little rough, don't you think?" he asked, rather suggestively.

Roxas turned a shade of red and quickly nudged Axel over with his foot, working on the ties that held his wrists. "You're…not like them?" Axel asked, cautiously.

Roxas shook his head, not realizing Axel couldn't see him. _'Like…the villagers?'_ "N-no. You?" _'Please tell me Axel isn't a Zombie!'_ He wasn't so sure if he could handle that.

Roxas dropped the rope on the ground, and Axel rolled over, sitting up. He rubbed at his wrists and his face lightly. He didn't answer Roxas' question, just looked over at him. "Okay, I have only one, very important question," Axel said, very seriously.

Roxas gulped. He didn't want there to be another catch to this game. He heard a ginormous growl from Axel's stomach. "Got any food?"

Roxas' face fell. Just like Axel. He looked down at the silly grin on Axel's face. This was definitely not like a videogame character. The character at this time would be asking for…a spare gun or a cigarette or something. Not food, with this silly look on his face.

Roxas searched his pockets. "Uhhh…I got gum?" he said, failingly. Axel looked rather disappointed.

Roxas rubbed his head thoughtfully, wondering what he was supposed to do now. At least in this situation, it looked like Axel would be staying with him for a while. He smiled a little at that thought. Even though he knew in the back of his head that this was just a game, it was SCARY SHIT. He'd never fired a gun before this, never killed anyone, and CERTAINLY never gotten practically blown to bits.

Just as he was reaching to call Zexion to ask him what to do, he felt a restraint on his wrist. He looked down to see Axel holding onto it, looking up at him from the ground. "Oi…have we met before?" he asked, rather seriously.

Roxas wasn't sure what to say. He didn't fully know himself if it was Axel or…another character. Yet, Axel seemed to remember him. "Axel, I…uh…"

The door suddenly burst open, and two growling, spitting villagers entered, followed by a man in a long, black trench coat.

Roxas stepped back in shock. _'Riku? RIKU?! Does he immediately associate himself with the villain?'_ There was no way this character he was now was not the villain character.

"Perfect," Axel said from the ground. "The big cheese."

"What?!" Roxas asked, incredulously. Riku had a bad boy complex, didn't he? DIDN'T HE? What was Sora thinking, really.

Riku stepped forward and stared Roxas down, with the arrogant smirk he always had on his face. Roxas narrowed his eyebrows. Frickin brother stealing smirking labyrinth torturing arrogant bastard! He charged at Riku, attempting to kick him in the stomach. He made a good show of it, but the kick didn't phase Riku at all.

In fact, Riku grabbed hold of his foot, and Roxas panicked for a moment, dreading being thrown into the pile of sharp metal objects he had seen somewhere across the room. Riku wouldn't actually…!

Roxas felt his leg twist as he was hurled backwards, landing directly atop Axel, who crashed into a pile of sandbags behind him. The last thing he remembered was seeing the pained look on Axel's face before Roxas' head dropped onto his chest and he fell unconscious.

* * *

Don't miss next time: "The President's Son and Dr. Salvador!"

PS: The story is actually complete. I'm just uploading it in increments because I've never gotten to do that before. (Reviews would encourage me to upload faster?)


	5. The President's Son and Dr Salvador

Roxas came to with a rather large headache. He groaned, blinking a few times, wondering if he was back in the Labyrinth yet. He made to get up, but realized he was rather stuck. Roxas craned his neck to look over his shoulder, and saw that familiar shock of red hair.

"Axel," he said, pushing back against him. He moved a little bit, realizing that they were tied back to back. "Hey," Roxas said, tugging on the bonds. "Hey, wake up," he demanded.

Axel woke with a start. "Uhhhh…." Axel moaned. "Crawl out of one hole, into another."

"You want to tell me what's going on here?" Roxas asked, giving Axel a little shove. He was the primary source of information right now, and if Roxas could ascertain anything else from him, great.

"You're American, yeah? What brings a bloke like you to this part of the world?" Axel asked, as if he were trying to make conversation.

Roxas was annoyed of his attempts to acquaint them. They were best friends! Why didn't Axel remember that?

Roxas struggled, frustrated. He hated being tied up!

"Easy, whoever you are," Axel said, in taking a sharp breath from the sudden pain of the bonds.

Roxas growled in frustration. "My name's Roxas! ROXAS! Its me, Roxas!"

"Roxas," Axel repeated, curiously. It sounded familiar. He looked familiar. His temper was familiar, too.

Roxas sighed dejectedly and stopped struggling. He slipped the picture of Sora out of his pocket. "I came here looking for this guy. Have you seen him?"

"What, are you supposed to be a cop or something?" Axel asked, turning to look at Roxas. Roxas frowned at him. "Nah, you don't look the type," he decided.

"Maybe," Roxas huffed. He thought he was supposed to be a secret agent or something, actually. He didn't care to disclose the information. Saying _'I don't really know what the hell,' _wasn't exactly intelligent sounding.

"Okay, let me guess. He's the president's son? Sora, right?" Axel guessed, or what seemed like a guess, anyway.

Roxas tried to whip around, and almost caused himself neck injury. He forgot they were bound. How did Axel know it was Sora? He had never mentioned his name! Did that mean he recognized him?

"That's too good for a guess. Want to start explaining?" Roxas said, raising an eyebrow.

Axel turned to face him, grin splitting across his face again. "Psychic powers," he said.

Roxas rolled his eyes. Axel was impossible sometimes.

"NAH! Just kidding with you," Axel replied, laughing and jostling Roxas' shoulder with his own. "I overheard one of the villagers talking something about the President's son in the church," he admitted.

Well, at least he knew where Sora was, now. If he only got that piece of information, it was good, he guessed.

"And who might you be?" Roxas asked sarcastically. Not like he didn't know already. Maybe Axel would humor him with what kind of character he thought was now.

"I'm Axel. A-X-E-L. Got-"

"Don't you fucking say it," Roxas warned him, shoving his shoulder roughly. The last thing he wanted to hear right now was the damned catchphrase!

Axel was taken aback. "How did you know what I was going to say?" he asked, suspiciously. Maybe THIS guy was the one with psychic powers?

"Because you ALWAYS say it!" Roxas replied. He sighed. Now was not the time to get into a fight.

"I…think I used to be a cop in Madrid. Now I'm just a good-for-nothing guy who happens to be quite the ladies man," Axel replied, shrugging._'Though now, I'm not so sure how much of that I believe.'_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"What made you quit?" Roxas asked, curious as to Axel's new identity.

Axel kind of ignored his question, not sure how to answer it. He knew what he was supposed to say, but he didn't feel the inclination to do so. Why not?

Both their attentions were drawn to the door as it opened. One of the men that Roxas had recognized as the man he gunned down in the house hours ago, entered. Roxas blinked, confused. Did he have an infinite amount of twins, or something? He could have sworn he saw him in several of the villages as well! Nevermind, Roxas stopped thinking about the logicalness of the situation and focused on the fact that the man was dragging a rather large axe behind him. Which must have been difficult since his foot appeared to be broken.

"Uh…uh…" Axel said, trying to scoot away, pulling Roxas along with him. Crazy villager clone man was raising his axe! "Do something!" he said urgently.

"After you!" Roxas replied. Why was it his job to think of something?! The man raised his axe and swung downwards at them.

"Now!" Roxas shouted, wrenching both of them aside. He swore he felt the metal graze his skin as the bonds were sliced through and the man's axe was lodged into the ground. Roxas and Axel scurried apart from each other as he worked on pulling his axe up.

Roxas got to his feet and thought of pulling out his gun, but decided not to waste bullets. The man was advancing on him, so Roxas advanced back, kicking him in the chest as hard as he could. The man flew into the wall, dropping his axe and effectively breaking his neck by the fall.

Roxas turned to where he remembered Axel being, and saw the spot empty. He caught him retreating out the door as fast as he could. No! Was he running away? That BASTARD!

"Axel! Damnit, AXEL!" Roxas dashed after him, almost running headlong into him in the hallway of the house they had been captive in. Axel turned to him and gave him a weak smile. Actually, he considered staying with Roxas, but he knew that he KNEW he wasn't supposed to. He needed to follow the rules, didn't he? He patted Roxas on the shoulder once before taking off down the hall.

Roxas wished that he had something to throw at him. How could he leave him like this?! He was so angry, he didn't stop to think about the situation. He tore out his radio and contacted Zexion.

"Its Roxas. Sorry I couldn't get in touch sooner, but I was a bit tied up," he barked into the microphone. Zexion flinched a little.

"You're okay, right?" Zexion asked.

"I'm fine. There was a male civilian held captive. According to him, Sora's in a church somewhere," he informed Zexion. Which was exactly where Roxas would be headed next. Without Axel's effing help, thanks.

"What happened to him?" Zexion inquired.

"He ran out on me, the bastard," Roxas growled at him. Zexion showed no signs of his nervousness.

"Do you have a fix on the location of the church?" Zexion asked without hesitation.

"No, but apparently there's a secret passage in the village that leads there," he said. Wait. How the hell did he know that? Well, there was always a secret passage, anyway. "I'm heading back to the village."

Roxas put the radio away and headed down the hallway in the scrungy house. A blue flame caught his eye and he heard laughter outside one of the windows. "Over here, stranger," an extremely familiar voice beckoned. He saw a cloaked man disappear around the house.

Roxas hurried out of the house and rounded the corner, catching up to the man in the black cloak. The man laughed a little and whipped open his cloak to reveal a plethora of things inside. Guns, gun parts, ammo, spray and grenades. "Got something' that might interest ya!"

Roxas stared at him curiously. That was seriously a familiar voice! He looked into the man's eyes, but couldn't place it from just that.

"Got some rare things on sale today, stranger!" the man said, motioning towards the merchandise in his many pockets. Roxas looked it over carefully. He pulled the coins he had gathered out of the pocket he had been keeping them in.

"I guess I'll take some ammo. How much?" he asked.

The man shied away a little. "Not for sale, stranger," he said firmly.

Roxas felt his eyebrow twitch. "Why not? You'll sell me a gun, but not ammo? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What're ya buyin'?" The man prodded. He obviously wanted Roxas to buy something, but he wasn't going to sell him the only thing he really needed.

"Well then, this health spray-" Roxas held out the coins.

"All out, stranger," the man informed him, closing his jacket.

Out? OUT?! But it was RIGHT THERE! What the heck?! Stingy! Roxas used his fingers to flip the hood off the man.

Roxas pointed at him in shock. He'd know that mullet mohawk ANYWHERE! "Demyx you cheating hooker! Sell me the ammo before I rip your face off!" he demanded.

Demyx lowered his handkerchief. "How do you know my name, stranger?"

"I'm not a STRANGER!" he said, giving Demyx a shove. "Fuck!" he snatched the ammo from Demyx's coat anyway and stalked off, reloading his gun with a new sort of fervor. He heard Demyx calling to him, but he didn't come after him.

Roxas kicked the door to the next village open. "Bring it, you stupid effers!" he said, attracting the attention of several of the villagers. They came at him in a mob, and he briefly regretted his actions. Roxas shot at one, but they accumulated, and one of them lit a stick of dynamite. Roxas gritted his teeth and pointed his gun, firing angrily.

After cleaning up and cleaning out the village, Roxas made his way through the path to a house he spotted up ahead. It looked kind of foreboding, and he felt unsure about it. He took a few deep breaths and entered slowly, creeping along the halls. It was a lot nicer house than the ones he had previously been in. In fact, it was rather large.

Roxas crept into a bedroom and spotted a letter lying on the bed. He picked it up and read it. It was about himself, and Axel. More orders to the villagers to kill him. He tossed the thing carelessly on the bed and started towards the door that was open just a crack. He could hear voices behind it, but he didn't understand enough Spanish!

His ear caught the sound of rustling and he whipped around. Riku was standing directly behind him. Roxas reached for his gun, to at least use in a negotiation, but Riku's hand immediately clamped down on his shoulder.

Roxas tried to wrench away, but Riku held him firmly. His hand trembled a little, as if he were contemplating whether to do something or not.

'_This is where he assaults me to show his power, right? Right? This is how videogames like this go! Why isn't he doing anything?'_ Roxas thought frantically.

"You….you…" Riku struggled a little with the words. Like he had forgotten his lines. "You…know what's going on…don't you?"

"Riku! You're-!" Roxas exclaimed, before being pushed back into a standing closet. Roxas almost lost his balance, and Riku was gone in a matter of seconds.

Roxas stood in the room dumbly for a moment. Riku could have hurt him, but he didn't. He had acted like he was breaking character, too. Roxas knew Riku would never actually hurt him, they were decently good friends, and he was Sora's best friend in the entire world. Riku would never hurt his best friend's brother, not the real Riku, anyway.

Roxas clenched his chest, his heart beating fast. He was here now, in this strange, mixed up story, where everyone he knew acted as if they were someone else. He looked down at his own hand. They weren't someone else, were they? They were trapped here, too, just like Roxas. Only, they didn't realize it. Axel had acted like he didn't know him, but he remembered. Just now, Riku had looked confused, as if he hadn't quite understood what was going on. He was finally beginning to realize it, wasn't he? Roxas took a deep breath, hoping for Sora's sake that Riku understood soon, and was taking good care of him.

Roxas ventured out of the room he was in, carefully checking out the rest of the house. He kept his handgun poised, ready to take on anyone else that came this way. Fortunately, he didn't see anyone. _'Time to go on. Sora, I'll be there soon.'_

Roxas pushed open the front door to the house and stepped outside cautiously. He saw a person or two out in the front yard, but they didn't see him yet. Perfect time for an ambush. He'd take out these small fries no problem. Roxas rushed forward and immediately gunned down the unarmed man. He began to shoot at the other, but the bullets seemed to have little or no effect. What in the word did he have a bag on his head for? The man lifted his arms, and Roxas saw it.

"Vwrrrrrrrrrrr!" A chainsaw.

"HOLY SHIT!" Roxas cried, backing up as the man advanced on him swiftly. Roxas panicked and booked it back to the house, slamming the door behind him. He couldn't just run, this was the only way out of the house! There was nothing to push in front of the door! Roxas backed up to the stairs and held his gun out, hands shaking. He could hear the violent whir of the chainsaw coming closer to the door. Roxas' legs started to shake, and he felt the shotgun clanging against his side.

SHOTGUN. Yes, shotgun. Shotgun NOW. Roxas stuffed the handgun back into its holster and ripped out the shotgun as the man opened the door. Roxas shot, and felt his shoulder sting from the recoil. Yes, at least the man was phased by it. However, he kept coming just as quickly. Roxas shot. And shot. And shot! _'Fuck fuck fuck! Mother effer doesn't die!'_ Roxas tried to shoot him again, but the gun just clicked.

Roxas fumbled for the ammo. Reload, reload now! Chainsaw, coming closer! The whirring was in Roxas' ears. Reload, damnit! Roxas cocked the gun, and pointed it up, feeling it collide with the chest of the bag headed man as the chainsaw collided with his neck.

* * *

Back to the Labyrinth in the next chapter: "Forget Me Not!"

PS: The rating has been changed to M because RE4 is ridiculously violent and Roxas likes to use expletives.


	6. Forget Me Not

When Roxas woke, he immediately started screaming wildly. His head! His head was being chainsawed off his body! OH THE INHUMANITY!

"Help! Help!" he screamed, for anyone that could help him at all. He didn't want to die. Die and leave Sora to Riku. Die and never have a date with Axel. DIE A VIRGIN!

"What do you mean, help? We ARE helping!" a voice from beside him said. Roxas stopped screaming long enough to look around. He saw blackness all around him, except a small pinpoint of light above him. Well, if he was looking around, that meant he still had his head. Which meant that he wasn't dead.

It was then that Roxas realized he was being held. There was a hand on his arm, on both his arms, and another two on his legs, plus others that were prodding him. He was suspended in a hole, surrounded by black hands.

"We're helping hands," another voice said, near his left ear.

"You're hurting me," Roxas said, trying to wrench out of the grasp of the hands.

"Would you like us to let go?" the voice asked, and they all let go at once. Roxas dropped further into the hole, and there was some major groping of his body on the way.

"No!" he cried, as one of the hands quite clearly grabbed his ass. Roxas' face flushed as he came to a stop.

"Well then, come on. Which way?" the voice asked, as one of the hands petted him. Roxas shivered from the creepiness of the situation.

"Which way?" he repeated, confused.

"Up or down?" The hands asked, squeezing a little bit.

"Ugh," Roxas said, as he was groped up the leg. Anything was better than this! The chorus of voices taunted him.

"We haven't got all day!"

"Well? It's a big decision!"

"Which way do you want to go, hmm?"

"Yes, which way?"

"Well since I'm pointed that way I guess I'll go down!" Roxas shouted quickly, bracing himself for the fall.

"He chose down! He chose down?"

"Was that wrong? Ick!" Roxas asked frantically. The voices all laughed at him as they dropped him and continued to burst his personal bubble all the way to the bottom.

-------

Riku had been sitting next to his chair that he had previously directed Sora into. Sora was asleep off and on. Riku knew it wasn't the most comfortable place to put him, but he couldn't be bothered to carry him to a bed. Riku, for some reason, felt the need to stay beside him. He reasoned it was because Sora was his prize, and he had to watch him carefully.

Riku rotated the crystal ball in his palm, staring into it curiously. The groups of goblins partying, drinking, fighting, and gambling were being rather loud. "He's in the oubliette," Riku announced, to no one in particular. The entire room erupted into maniacal laughter. Riku watched Sora stir and sit up.

"Shut up!" Riku commanded the goblins, who promptly shut their mouths. Most of them stopped to pay attention to what Riku was doing.

Sora blinked a few times, slightly captivated by the crystal in Riku's hand. Riku smirked. No one could resist a shiny. "Look, its your brother," Riku said, scooting close to Sora, and putting an arm around him, to share the crystal.

Sora's cheeks turned pink as he scooted close enough to look into the crystal. He gasped a little. It totally was Roxas! He looked like he had just fallen onto his butt in the middle of a cave.

"He's still fighting through my labyrinth to get to you," Riku whispered into Sora's ear. "He should have given up by now."

Sora narrowed his eyebrows at Riku. "He'll never give up!" Sora protested. "Not Roxas. You should know better than that," Sora said, prodding Riku in the chest.

Riku looked down at where Sora had poked him, as if he was confused as to why Sora would dare touch him. Sora hadn't run away screaming when he'd come so close to him just now, either. It was almost as if…Sora wasn't afraid of him at all.

"I should know better…?" he muttered to himself. How should he know better? Riku stood up and tossed the crystal over his shoulder, but there was no sound of it breaking on the floor.

"Axel will lead him back to the beginning," Riku informed Sora. He turned to glare at him, but was put off by the determined look on Sora's face. "He'll give up when he realizes he has to start all over again."

Riku folded his arms across his chest and laughed aloud. When he realized that the room was quiet, he pushed one of the goblins over on his way out. "Well, laugh!" he commanded them, exiting the room in a huff. The room erupted into laughter and merriment. Sora sunk back into the chair miserably.

-------

Roxas rubbed his bum a little from the fall. It was dark in the…wherever he was. Guess down wasn't the right choice after all. He heard a door opening and footsteps coming towards him.

"Who's there?" he asked, reaching down to his side. His hand grasped at air. Oh right, no more game. No more gun.

"Me," Axel's distinctive voice came out from the darkness. He saw a flame erupt from near him as Axel lit a candle. He tucked the lighter back into his pocket.

"You…" Roxas said, feeling the urge to go hug him, and kill him at the same time. He had left him to be slaughtered back in that game!

"I'm still mad at you for leaving me," Roxas pointed out, pouting a little. Axel looked at him. Leaving him…? At the beginning of the Labyrinth? Or…when? It was his job to leave him. "Sorry?" he apologized, not really knowing why he felt the need to.

"Well, I knew you were going to get into trouble when I first met you," Axel stated, watching as Roxas stood up and brushed himself off.

"And when was that?" Roxas asked sarcastically.

"At the beginning of the Lab-" Axel started to say, but stopped himself. "When you helped me out of the closet-" Wait. He was getting his stories mixed up, wasn't he? "When we went to scho-" Where did that one come from? Axel put his hand to his face. He couldn't clearly remember which meeting he remembered.

Roxas looked at Axel's face for a moment. Axel was remembering who he was now, wasn't he? Hopefully he could get Axel to stay with him long enough this time for him to realize what was going on.

"Anyway, I've come to give you a hand," Axel said, reaching out to put his hand on Roxas' shoulder.

Bad memories! Roxas slapped his hand away suddenly. "Don't grope me you pervert!" he said, backing away. His face immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Axel looked a little offended, but then looked up and laughed. "Helping hands, eh?" he muttered. Those frisky freaks.

Roxas tried to turn his attention elsewhere and started looking around for how to leave this…dungeon looking place.

"Oh, you're looking around. I suppose you've noticed, there aren't any doors. Just the hole," Axel informed him, looking completely calm about it. He pointed up to the hole Roxas had dropped through as the only opening. "This is an oubliette. Labyrinth's full of them."

Roxas stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "I didn't know that. If there aren't any doors, how'd you get in?" He wasn't an idiot.

"Uhhh…."Axel replied, scratching the back of his head. "Don't get smart. You don't even know what an oubliette is," Axel defended himself.

"Do you?" Roxas retorted smartly.

"Yes. It's a place you put people. To forget about them." Axel replied.

"Did you want to forget about me?" Roxas asked, crossing his arms.

"Well…no," Axel said, as if he were a bit ashamed.

"Well, you seem to have already done it," Roxas muttered.

Axel stared at him for a minute. "Look, what you need to do is get out of here. And it just so happens that I know a short cut right out of the whole Labyrinth."

Well, that was stupid. That was no help at all. "No! I'm not giving up now! Not when I came this far!" Roxas sat down on a rather large rock to think. If Axel wasn't going to be any help, he was going to have to come up with a plan himself. "Forget it. I'm doing okay."

Axel sat down next to him and put his arm around him unexpectedly. "Of course you are. But it gets a lot worse from here on in," he warned him, giving his shoulder a little squeeze.

Roxas didn't look at Axel. In fact, he fiddled with his fingers in his lap. "Why are you so concerned about me?" he asked quietly.

Axel withdrew his arm and turned away from Roxas a little. "Uh…what?" he laughed a little nervously. "I just…am. That's all," he decided. He turned back to Roxas and touched his jaw gently, turning Roxas' face towards him. "Nice young boy…terrible black oubliette."

Roxas was completely distracted. Did anything matter? Nope. In fact, maybe Axel shouldn't get his memory back. At least this way, Axel hit on him once in a while. Axel withdrew his hand a second later and picked up a piece of loose straw, using the candle he had lit to set it on fire and watched it burn.

Roxas rolled his eyes. It really was Axel, his attention span proved it. "You're such a pyro," Roxas said, digging around in his pocket.

"Why?" Axel asked. Was his incessant urge to play with fire all that bad?

Roxas retrieved his lighter from his pocket, holding it in his hand. He had gotten a really cool one at the fair several years back, so that him and Axel could light stuff on fire together. Axel had always liked it. "If you help me solve the Labyrinth, I'll give you this," he said, popping the top off and lighting the flame. It burned a translucent blue.

Axel was captivated. Yes, he wanted it. "You like it, don't you?" Roxas taunted, waving it a little. Axel bit his lip. "Eh…so-so," he said, turning his head away.

Roxas shrugged and flipped the lid closed, extinguishing the flame. "Oh. Okay," he replied, getting up from where he was seated.

Axel caught his wrist. "You give me the lighter, and uh…I'll show you the way out of the Labyrinth!"

"You were going to do that anyways!" Roxas protested, though he didn't pull his arm away from Axel.

"Well, that's what would make it a particularly nice gesture on your part."

"Just…take me as far as you can, and then I'll do it on my own!" Some time with Axel was better than no time with Axel or starting over, Roxas reasoned.

Axel sighed and looked away thoughtfully. He wanted to help Roxas so badly, but he didn't want to face the consequences. Not that he was sure what those were at all.

Axel stood and pulled Roxas towards one of the walls. He dropped his wrist and uncovered a bunch of planks boarded together. "I can't promise anything, but I'll take you as far as I can, then you're on your own. Right?"

"Right!" Roxas replied, thrilled that Axel would be going with him this time. He placed the lighter in Axel's hand. Axel would probably give it back to him once they got back home anyway, so no worries.

Axel pocketed the lighter and raised the planks up against the wall. He pulled them open to the right, and a bunch of buckets and a mop fell out. "Oops," he said, kicking them aside and closing the door. "Broom closet," he muttered.

Roxas looked at him like he was an idiot. "Can't be right all the time," he said, shrugging. He opened the door the other way. "Okay then, here we go." He motioned for Roxas to follow and squeezed through the doorway.

Roxas hurried to follow him, staying as close beside him as he could. They headed down a few twists and turns. Roxas figured they must be underground somewhere. They approached a hallway with a multitude of large faces carved into the rock.

"Don't go on!" One of them bellowed, making Roxas jump and run into Axel. Axel reached an arm around him and pulled him close, almost on instinct. "This way," he said, leading him around the corner.

"Go back while you still can!" "This is not the way!" "Take heed, and go no further!" "Beware!" "Beware!" "Soon it will be too late!"

"Ignore them," Axel said, about the various faces that were carved into the walls, shouting dire warnings at them as they made their way along. "They're just false alarms. You get them a lot in the Labyrinth. Especially when you're on the right track."

"Oh no, you're not!" One of the faces protested.

"Shut up," Axel replied, walking them right past it.

Oh. That was comforting. Nothing helped him in this Labyrinth in the first place. It wasn't news to him that things were misleading now.

"Sorry, just doing my job." The rock face muttered behind them.

"BEWARE! FOR THE-"

"Just forget it!" Axel growled at the face they were approaching.

"Oh, please. I haven't said it for such a long time," the face complained.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Alright, but don't expect a big reaction," he warned, stopping in front of the face for a bit. He turned Roxas towards it as if they were watching a show.

"No, no. Of course not," the rock face replied, clearing his throat. "FOR THE PATH YOU TAKE WILL LEAD TO CERTAIN DESTRUCTION!"

Axel looked at Roxas, who shrugged. He didn't quite get the point. Axel steered them off away from the face. "Thank you very much!" it called out as they left.

Roxas was enjoying walking close with Axel, his arm still around him. He felt very safe. Maybe he sort of did get a date with him after all? He felt something hit the back of his foot and roll away between them, ahead up the path. Roxas thought he definitely recognized that crystal ball…!

"Uh oh…" he groaned as they rounded the corner, watching the crystal hop off the floor into a beggars cup that a strange creature was holding.

"Ah, what have we here?" The creature asked, standing up.

"N-nothing!" Axel said, hugging Roxas closer to him protectively.

"Nothing? NOTHING?" The creature tore its clothes and head off to reveal Riku. "Well tra la la," he said sarcastically, eyeing them both disapprovingly.

"Y-you're Majesty! What a nice surprise!" Axel stuttered, rather nervously. He withdrew his arm from around Roxas and pushed him away.

"Hello Alex," Riku said.

"Asshole," Roxas muttered, folding his arms, offended.

"AXEL!" Axel corrected them. "A-X-"

"Shut up!" Riku and Roxas commanded him in unison.

Riku cleared his throat in an awkward fashion. "Axel, are you helping him?" he demanded.

"H-helping? In what sense?" Axel asked, rubbing his arm and avoiding eye contact with Roxas.

"In the sense of leading him towards the castle," Riku replied. Geeze, Axel was dumb.

Axel shrugged. "I was taking him back to the beginning."

"What?!" Roxas exclaimed, grabbing Axel' shoulders. Two timing jerk!

Axel didn't look at him. He had a bored expression on his face. "I told him I was helping him. A little trickery on my part-"

"What is this?" Riku asked, rather quietly.

"Eh?" Axel replied, watching Riku's finger point from Axel to Roxas and back again as if to ask 'What is this thing going on between you two?'

"Uh…" Axel stuttered, as Roxas held his shoulders tightly, almost a little desperately.

"If I thought for one second that you were betraying me, I would be forced to suspend you headfirst in the bog of eternal stench," Riku said, arms folded, frown on his face.

Axel pulled away from Roxas' grip. "No! Not the bog of eternal stench!" he practically begged. Roxas fisted his hands at his side. Axel was being such a wimp in front of Riku. Stupid.

"Oh, yes," Riku replied, pushing Axel aside. "And how about you, Roxas? Enjoying my Labyrinth?"

"It's a piece of SHIT!" Roxas yelled at him. "What are you doing to Sora? You'd better be taking care of him!"

Riku looked away from him. "Of course I am," he muttered.

"I don't believe you," Roxas replied snidely.

"Then come get him faster!" Riku replied, clearly angry. He pulled out a pocket watch and shoved it in Roxas' face. "See? Better hurry! I've cut two hours off your time!"

"THAT ISN'T FAIR! YOU'RE BEING AN ASSHOLE!" Roxas shouted at him.

"You say that a lot. I wonder what you're basis for comparison is?" Riku asked, producing the familiar crystal from his pocket. "If you think the Labyrinth is so easy, then lets see you deal with this." He chucked the crystal down the hallway and was gone.

A rounded, loud machine appeared to be coming down the hall. It had spikes and grabbing stabbers on the front.

"The cleaners!" Axel exclaimed, grabbing Roxas' hand.

"What?" Roxas asked as he was dragged down the tunnel, hardly having time to enjoy holding Axel's hand.

"Run!" Axel instructed him urgently, pulling him along. Roxas could hear the scraping and clanking of the deadly machine behind them.

"You had to go and make him mad!" Axel exclaimed, pushing Roxas into an off branch, and out of the path of the cleaners.

"So this is my fault?!" Roxas protested.

Axel entered the tunnel just as the cleaners went by, crashing through the dead end gate just around the corner carelessly, and lumbering off down the tunnel.

"Ah, this is what we need. A ladder," Axel said, testing its strength. He put one foot on it and started to climb. When Roxas didn't look as if he were following, Axel stopped. "Come on," he urged.

"Why should I trust you?" Roxas said with a sour face, turning his back on Axel. "You were taking me back to the beginning."

"I wasn't." Axel said sincerely. "I just told him that to throw him off the scent."

"How can I believe you?" Roxas muttered, feeling slightly betrayed.

Axel looked up at the daylight. "Lets put it this way," he concluded, hopping off the ladder. He placed a hand on Roxas' head and ruffled his hair gently. "What choice have you got?"

Roxas sighed, turning a little pink in the cheeks. He had a point. Roxas sighed again and looked up the ladder. It sure was long. Looked unstable, too. But he didn't have a choice, really. He started up the ladder and after a couple feet, chanced a look down to make sure Axel was following. Axel grinned up at him and he turned his face away quickly, climbing a little faster.

Axel climbed quietly behind Roxas for a moment. Well, that was a nice view. Actually, it was a familiar view. Like something he had spent a good amount of time staring at before. "See, you've got to understand my position," Axel said. Great position, actually. Axel smirked. "To tell you the truth, I'm confused as to why I'm doing anything Riku tells me to. It seems kind of stupid, actually. But I'm having a hard time separating things in my head."

Roxas stopped climbing, and Axel almost fell off the ladder to prevent running into him. "You're acting like a coward. I don't see any excuse for that," he said seriously.

"You might not be so brave, if you'd smelt the bog of eternal stench," Axel pointed out.

"Is that all it does? Smell?" Roxas asked, as if it were the stupidest thing in the world.

"Just that is enough. And what's worse, set one foot in it and you smell for the rest of your life. It'll never wash off." He reached up and slapped Roxas on the ass with a grin. "Get moving. This ladder won't hold up forever."

"Pervert!" Roxas turned bright red and rushed up the ladder as fast as he could. Axel was being so forward! Geeze! He pushed open the trapdoor and water suddenly started rushing in on top of him.

* * *

The second parody, and the long awaited un-mixing of some mixups awaits you in the next chapter: "Twilight Prince" 


	7. Twilight Prince

Roxas climbed out as fast as he could, not really noticing the door close behind him, and altogether disappear. He struggled a bit, coughing as he sat up in some sort of pool of water. He looked around curiously, taking in the sight of the greenery and cascading water. They were in some sort of…spring?

Roxas stood to his feet and looked around. He looked down at himself, clothes completely soaked. Great. To make matters worse, Axel hadn't climbed out after him. Roxas didn't know if he should be worried or angry about it. He spotted a path to his left and decided to follow it. At least it wasn't a maze right now, it was pretty clearly marked. Roxas hesitated, wondering if he should wait for Axel. It didn't appear that Axel was coming, though.

Roxas sighed and continued on, walking slowly down the path. He crossed a suspension bridge and wandered into what looked like a forest. It was growing dark really quickly, and he squinted at the sign. Woods? Village? He wasn't sure where to go, but he kept on straight. After what felt like an hour, he approached what looked like a cave entrance. Only, it was blocked by a swirling red vortex of shapes and noise. Roxas lifted an eyebrow and approached it cautiously, holding his hand out to see if he could touch it.

A giant red hand shot from the wall and wrapped itself around Roxas' body. Without warning, it pulled him into the vortex in one swift motion.

Roxas woke with his face pressed to the cold stone floor. He moaned a little as he sat up, feeling the weight of his clothing and hearing the dangling pieces scrape across the floor. He was no longer soaked through to his underwear at least. Roxas looked around, blinking. If he endured much more passing out, he was liable to wake up with brain damage soon.

"I found you!" Roxas' favorite familiar voice chimed in. He whipped his head around to see Axel standing there, dressed in a black hooded cloak that draped to the floor and zipped up the front. Roxas tried to scramble to his feet, only to find that his movement was restricted. He tripped on his own cloak and crashed to the floor.

Axel chuckled at him and Roxas glared, pulling at the shackle on his ankle. How rude to laugh at him while he was chained to the floor! Roxas growled.

"Ooh! Aren't you scary? Are you sure you want to do that? Snarl and glare at me?" Axel asked, shrugging and walking about the cell that they were in. Geeze, climb out of one dungeon, into another one? "I was planning on helping you, if you were nice."

Roxas sighed in an annoyed fashion and sat down cross legged on the ground. Axel clearly had the solution to this situation, and he really had no choice but to do what he said. Axel walked over to him and ruffled his hair, bending down to be eye level with him. "I don't really get it but, weren't we climbing up a ladder just now? But I just got overwhelmed with this feeling of change." He pondered on it for a moment, and Roxas stayed silent. Axel patted his shoulder. "You're obedient to a fault, aren't you?"

Roxas attempted to bite his hand for making a cheeky remark. Axel withdrew it. "Geeze, no reason to get frisky on me," he complained. He stood and dusted himself off. "I guess you noticed we're dressed a little differently. My source of information is telling me that it might be important."

"What exactly is your source of information?" Roxas asked.

Axel pointed his finger in the air and opened his mouth, but then scratched his head as if he couldn't decide. "I'm not sure. Whatever it is that tells me that I'm supposed to lead you out of here. It isn't the same thing that recognizes you as Roxas, that tells me that I…" he trailed off.

Axel changed subjects faster than a woman changes diets. "I bet you're wondering where we are! Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here-" Roxas did a double take from where Axel was just standing, to where he was currently situated outside the cell. "Maybe I'll tell you."

Roxas tried to stand and nearly tripped again. He pulled at the shackle a little bit. Well, great. Besides the fact that he was quite clearly in a cell, he wasn't going to get out by being chained to the floor. Roxas looked around for anything useful, and found a rock. He stretched his body out across the cell to reach it, feeling kind of stupid. Roxas looked up momentarily and caught Axel's eye watching him intently, as if he couldn't make sense of what he was thinking as opposed to what he was supposed to be thinking.

Roxas used the rock to pretty easily break the chain. The shackle was still around his foot, but he couldn't much help that. Once he was free, he stood and took a good look at himself. The dark, heavy coat he was wearing seemed really inefficient. Not to mention a little breezy, considered he wasn't wearing much underneath. Roxas looked up at Axel, who appeared to be yawning. He tried not to think of the fact that Axel wasn't probably wearing a whole lot more. Less in fact, if Roxas knew him.

"C'mon, what's the matter? Get over here!" Axel said, beckoning him beyond the cell bars. Roxas wrapped his hands around the bars and shook. Apparently, they weren't going to budge as easily as the shackle chain. He looked around, but didn't really see anything to pry the door open, or anything useful at all.

"If you can't force your way out, why don't you see if there's some kind of hole you can squeeze through?" Axel suggested.

Roxas glared at him. "Are you calling me small?" he asked, defiantly.

Axel shrugged. "Places like this are always full of holes, right?"

"I'm going to punch you in the face when I get out of here," Roxas promised, moving aside some boxes near the right side of the bars.

"I'd like to see you try, shorty," Axel said with a grin. "You can't even reach the top of your own bookshelf."

It was true, Roxas had a box that he stood on to get to the top of his bookshelf. Their house had high ceilings! That meant tall furniture! But, wait. "You remember that?" Roxas asked, moving the last box aside. There was a hole that made a significant gap beneath the bars. He got on his back and started under head first, attempting to squeeze his shoulders through the small opening.

"I remember a lot of things. But they are all jumbled up in my head," Axel said, grabbing hold of Roxas' hands and helping him through with a gentle tug. It wasn't in the instructions of what he was supposed to do, but he wanted to do it anyway. They worked well as a team, he thought.

"Listen, Roxas," Axel said, helping him pull the rest of his feet out of the hole and helping him stand. "I like you so, I think I'll get you out of here," he decided.

"You what?" Roxas asked, looking up from brushing the dirt off his jet black garment.

"I'm going to help you out so-" Axel started.

"No, the other part," Roxas prompted. Did Axel mean…?

"I like you?" Axel asked, turning the tiniest bit red in the cheeks.

Roxas looked him in the eye curiously, feeling his heart rate increase just the slightest bit. Which kind of 'like' did he mean? "What kind of-"

"In exchange you have to do exactly as I say, okay? Lets go!" Axel avoided the situation and grabbed Roxas' hand, dragging him along the damp corridor. Damn, he was good at escaping!

Roxas let Axel drag him through the dungeon. He noticed that all the cells they were passing were empty. Roxas was so busy looking around he almost ran directly into Axel when he stopped.

"What are you waiting for?" Roxas asked, as Axel just stood there.

"You have to do it by yourself," Axel said, as if this were obvious. "In this game, I'm only supposed to give you hints." As if to emphasize his point, he pointed upwards. Roxas saw a chain hanging from the ceiling. He reached his hand up and his fingers were a good five inches from the handle dangling on the end. Roxas jumped, but his fingers only brushed the handle, causing it to sway.

"I can't reach it," he muttered, crossing his arms.

"What?" Axel asked, leaning in closer.

"You have to do it, its too high up," he said, a little louder.

Axel smirked and leaned in even closer. "Can't hear you," he prodded.

"I'M TOO FUCKING SHORT! PULL THE DAMN THING BEFORE I KICK YOU IN THE FACE!" Roxas yelled at him. He tended to have unnecessary outbursts when he was frustrated.

Axel laughed. "Alright, alright," he said, reaching up and yanking the thing easily. Roxas brooded over it, secretly glad that he was with Axel and not say, Sora. Then they'd really be screwed.

The barred passage in front of them opened into a dank sewer. There was a raised walkway that hugged the wall, and a few inches of water gathered in the sunken areas. Roxas and Axel stayed close to the wall. They almost ran directly into a hunched soldier on the corner, who looked as if he were scared out of his wits. He was panting heavily. "Can't…run…any…further. This…is far…enough…right? I'll be safe here…I think," he muttered to himself quietly.

Axel paid him no mind, but walked right past him. Roxas stopped. "Shouldn't we help him out?" he asked, attempting to pat the man on the shoulder. His hand passed directly through his body, and he felt a cold tingling sensation on his skin. "What was that noise? Don't…don't anything come near me!" he shouted, curling his body in on itself and clutching his lantern for dear life.

Axel reached back and grabbed Roxas' hand, pulling him along. Roxas followed, keeping his eyes on the shivering guard. He had looked directly at Roxas, but hadn't seen him at all.

There were several other guards along the walls. Axel pulled Roxas past them, all of them muttering to themselves. Something of monsters and black evil creatures. Roxas didn't understand, until he saw something flit past his vision.

"What was that?" he asked, peering over the edge of the walkway. Axel pulled on a chain that was dangling in front of him, and the opening of a heavy door could be heard. Water began to rush in and fill the near empty channels to the brim.

"I'll just tell you, I doubt you're used to it yet. They're going to attack you, but you can fight back," Axel informed him.

Roxas saw one of the black creatures swimming towards them. He looked at Axel, who appeared to be making no move to defend himself from them. "Fight with what?!" Roxas asked, suddenly feeling a great weight in his hand. He looked down to see his fingers wrapped around a black weapon, its shape somewhat resembling an old fashioned key. He looked from the blade to Axel, who nodded at the advancing creature.

Roxas struck it with the blade, and it exploded on impact. He looked at the sword in his hand. That wasn't so bad at all, actually. He could get used to it. He got used to a gun, this was just a little different was all.

As they went along, Roxas seemed to lag further behind, the creatures keeping their attention on him, instead of Axel. Axel seemed to be able to go where he pleased, pulling chains here and there, really only stepping in when he was needed, while Roxas hacked at the black monsters that attached to his legs and bit at his knees. Roxas almost walked into another barred gate, seeing Axel already on the other side.

"I'll wait for you here, but you have to help yourself for a change," Axel informed him.

"That isn't fair!" Roxas protested. What if he had to pull one of those chain things!?

"What are you waiting for? Just look down," Axel hinted at him, pointing. Roxas saw a passageway disappearing, but it was covered by at least two feet of water. He'd had enough trouble doggy paddling over those spikes earlier in the heavy coat he was wearing, like hell he was going to try and swim through a passage in the thing.

Roxas stomped around angrily for a bit, spotting a door closely akin to the one they had opened to get the water flowing in the first place. He turned his head upwards and spotted the dangling chain with the handle. Roxas cursed internally. He was too damn short to reach it! Freaking Axel. He looked around for anything that he could stand on, that could help him get just a little higher. One of the bricks on the wall appeared to be jutting out just a bit, and Roxas took advantage of that. He stood the key blade vertically, headfirst on the ground, rotating the blade towards the wall. Roxas wedged his body between the wall, with one foot on the underside of the blade, and the other on the piece of brick that protruded from the wall. He was able to elevate himself for long enough to grab the handle and use his bodyweight to bring it down.

The door lifted open and all the water rushed out. Roxas jumped down into the canal and raced along it, ducking into the opening. He passed another cowering guard before meeting up with Axel on the other side of the bars. "Aww, did the detour tire you out?" He asked, ruffling his hair again, rather affectionately.

Roxas frowned at him, though it wasn't a very threatening one. "No thanks to you, jerk," he muttered.

Axel laughed and led them along the corridor once more. "It looks like the spirits in here…they're all soldiers," he pointed out. "I wonder where we could be?" he taunted, in almost a singsongy voice. Roxas didn't find it amusing.

They entered what appeared to be a tower, with stairs sweeping up to the top. They looked somewhat unstable, and Roxas was unsure. Axel hopped across them with ease. "You want to get out of here, don't you? C'mon then!" he coaxed, stepping along with a light foot.

Roxas followed cautiously. His attention was upward when he stepped on a weak spot and the floor gave out under his feet. He started to fall, but was caught and yanked roughly into Axel's arms, who didn't lose his balance at all. "Geeze!" Roxas exclaimed, gazing at where he had just been standing.

"Do I need to do everything for you?" Axel asked, pulling Roxas closer to him suddenly. Roxas' breath caught a little and he stuttered. "I…uh…" he managed before he was being pulled along roughly by Axel. "Follow me closely if you don't want to fall! Want to know where we are? If we make it to the top, maybe you can find out!"

Roxas followed him quickly and a bit clumsily up the stairs, leaping over spots, catching his foot on areas that gave way. He was exhausted by the time they made it to the top, and Axel practically pushed him out of the window onto the ramparts below.

"Hmmm…" Axel said, surveying the area. They passed even another soldier, hiding his head in the corner. "There are even spirits up here, huh?" When Roxas looked at him weirdly, he elaborated a little. "The whole spirit thing is new to you, isn't it? They can see those monsters, but they don't know a thing about us," he explained.

"W-what are these monstrous birds? What's happened? Oh, our poor castle!" The soldier whined to himself as they passed.

Castle? So…! Roxas grabbed hold of Axel's arm. "Does he mean castle as in…THE castle? Is this a game or are we-"

Axel smiled down at him. "Lets get to that tower. There's someone I want you to see," he said.

Roxas' eyes widened, and he looked over at the tower. Was it really Sora there? Roxas didn't know for sure but, he had to find out. Roxas went ahead of Axel, carefully, as there were broken parts of the walkway and large gaps that he couldn't jump without Axel's help. Axel stayed close behind him, watching him. He felt as if a jigsaw puzzle was being pieced together in his head. The parts were being placed quickly. Himself, Roxas, home, school, Sora, his family, Riku, his friends. All these things were falling back into his memory.

Axel grabbed Roxas and hoisted him over his shoulder. "Ahh!" Roxas protested, but Axel held on tightly, just as eager now as Roxas was to reach their destination. "Just a little further!" Axel said, taking the last large leap and kicking down the door of the tower. He put Roxas down, who immediately dashed up the spiraling stairs. Sora, Sora was at the top of the tower, he just knew it!

He grabbed the handle of the door at the top and rattled it violently, not able to get the door to budge. "Axel!" he called, a little desperately. Axel appeared behind him in a matter of seconds. "I can't get the door open!" he cried, pulling at the handle. All that and he wasn't going to be able to open the stupid door.

"Calm down!" Axel said, cupping Roxas' face in his hands. "Calm down, okay?" Roxas nodded, taking a deep breath.

Axel reached out and opened the door easily, which caused Roxas to rage internally. He pushed Roxas into the room a little, where he saw Sora standing at the window, gazing out rather blankly. Roxas was a little dumbfounded for a moment, feeling that it was a little too easy.

Sora turned to them. "Roxas!" he exclaimed. He dropped the robe that he had been clutching to himself and dashed across the room, throwing his arms around his brother's neck.

Roxas sort of laughed, coming out of his initial shock. He patted his brother's back just a little. "C'mon, you're going to get me sick," he said, lightheartedly.

Sora backed off with apologies. "Axel, you came too?" he asked curiously.

Axel put his hand on his chest. "You remember me, also?" he asked. Sora was really familiar to him, too. He knew who he was. He almost exactly knew who he was.

Sora's face fell a little. "He's just like Riku," he observed of Axel, going back to the window. "Riku doesn't really remember me, or himself," Sora said, picking the robe back up and feeling the soft fabric between his fingers. He wrapped it around his shoulders again.

"I think you should explain what's going on," Axel prompted him. He needed to know the most, out of all of them.

Sora sat down on the bed, and Roxas wandered over to him, but didn't sit. Sora shook his head a little. "I don't really know. I was sleeping at home, and suddenly I was in the castle. Riku was there, but he thought he was the Goblin King or something. He said that…that you wished me away…" he looked up at Roxas, who avoided his gaze.

Roxas leaned against the bedpost, his back turned to Sora. He felt like such a jerk, and so embarrassed about his selfish actions. "I didn't mean to yell at you, Sora. I was just…Larxene was being a bitch and I…really wanted to go to the fair with Axel. I was just frustrated and…I said something stupid…I'm sorry…" he sort of trailed off. Roxas wasn't really all that good with apologies, and though he tried, he wasn't always the best brother to Sora that he could be. He loved Sora, but he was selfish, and arrogant, and felt as if Sora always got treated as the favorite, because he was so good.

Roxas felt a tug on his sleeve. "Its okay. It wasn't really fair to make you stay in all night with me. Its not like I blame you. I'm used to you being such a brat," Sora said with a smile.

Roxas frowned at him. "Hey!" Was really all he had to say in his defense. Sora was right, of course, about him being a brat. But that didn't mean he had to point it out.

"Uh…what about me?" Axel asked, pointing to himself.

Sora shrugged. "I don't really know. Roxas and I were taken here but…somehow Riku and you were, too. Only, we know we are ourselves, and you two keep thinking you're someone else. Its like some weird dream that keeps changing. But I think maybe Riku is figuring it out. I don't really know what else to do to get him to realize it sooner." Sora admitted. There wasn't really anything he could do but be himself.

Roxas smirked. "You could wrestle him to the floor and molest him senseless. He'd probably get the message then," he suggested.

Sora turned red to his ears. "ROXAS!" he squeaked out. Despite the fact that he would actually rather enjoy that, the last thing he wanted was to finally kiss Riku before he even remembered exactly who he was.

"I wouldn't complain if you wanted to help me 'discover myself' Roxas," Axel said, with a rather smug grin on his face.

Roxas turned red to his ears as well. "Don't be a pervert!" he yelled at Axel, who just laughed at him in return.

"Look, Roxas. For now, you have to get through that Labyrinth to come and get me," Sora urged. "I don't know what Riku thinks he has planned, I don't know if he'll come to before that. So you should hurry."

Roxas was confused. "But I'm here with you now. Why can't I just rescue you now?" he asked.

Sora shook his head. "Isn't this a little like a game? It's like an illusion that you got dropped into from the Labyrinth. That's why Axel always thinks he's someone different." Axel nodded in response. Every time he seemed to be doing something, he ended up suddenly infused with a new set of rules that he felt compelled to follow.

"So…it's like a different…level? Before the final boss?" Roxas started to understand a little. "Then, we're sort of not really here?" Sora kind of shrugged. It wasn't really any of their places to question if this, or any of the Labyrinth, was real.

Axel touched his chest. "I feel here," he replied, perplexed by the whole thing. Sora smiled at him, in a way that reminded him not to think too hard about it.

Roxas wasn't sure what to do next, and he was about to ask Sora, when he caught him looking out the window again. "The guard is supposed to come up soon, so you should get out," he told them.

Axel appeared to know exactly what he was talking about, because he was informed about this part of the game. "Let's go," he said, taking Roxas' arm.

"But…" Roxas replied, feeling reluctant to leave Sora. He knew that this was just a side story to the real deal, but all the same his feet were rooted to the spot and he didn't want to go.

Sora smiled at him. "Bye, Roxas." he said, as a sort of a 'get your ass moving NOW,' statement. Axel promptly pulled him out the door. Roxas started mechanically down the steps, not following Axel, confused as to what to do next, slightly angered at this taunting of a meeting with his brother, only to have to leave him behind.

Axel caught his arm again. "Not that way, the guard is coming. Man, he's prompt!" he said, looking around. He held out his hands in a cup, intending for Roxas to step into it. "Here, I'll give you a boost, through that window."

Roxas nodded and stuck his foot in the cradle of Axel's hands, feeling his body being hoisted upwards. He latched onto the windowsill with his arms, and clambered through it, tumbling out onto the stone ground below. The floor of the Labyrinth.

* * *

If you're still confused; don't worry! It won't last forever. Look forward to the appearance of a friendly face in chapter eight: "Saving Demyx" 

PS: Go see the poster for 'Something Epic' (the original title) in my DeviantArt gallery! (The link is in my profile.)


	8. Saving Demyx

Roxas stood around in the courtyard of the garden maze, looking about. He looked back at the pot they had just climbed out of, waiting for Axel to arrive. He extracted his lanky body from the large pot and stood next to Roxas, taking a deep breath.

"Here we are then," Axel said, brushing his clothes off. He looked at Roxas. "You're on your own now." He chose hastily which way he wanted to retreat and started off in that direction.

"WHAT?!" Roxas asked, chasing after him. Did he need to handcuff Axel to himself to get him from running away? Axel was NOT a coward and Roxas knew it.

"That's it, I quit," Axel said, not turning to look at Roxas. He was driven in two directions. Leaving Roxas, as he knew he was supposed to, or staying with Roxas, which he wanted to more than anything. He felt that the more he remembered Roxas, the more deeply he became attached to him. More attached than he thought he might have been in the first place.

Roxas grabbed his arm and planted his feet. "Wait a minute, Axel!" he pleaded. He couldn't really bring himself to beg him to stay, even if that was what he was thinking.

"I said I'd take you as far as I could," Axel reminded him, attempting to tug his arm free.

"You're an effing jerk, and a nasty, LYING, hooker!" Roxas shouted at him, feeling he beginnings of a possible tantrum coming on.

"Oh, come on Roxas. What do you expect? The longer I stay with you…" he trailed off. What was Riku going to do to him if Riku hadn't noticed his identity yet? Not that Axel was afraid of Riku in the least bit, but when you give an emo kid like him dark mysterical powers, you might wanna watch your back.

"Well, fine!" Roxas said, reaching into Axel's back pocket. A grin split across Axel's face. Aw, if only Roxas would angrily grope his ass more often. But now was not the time. Roxas walked off, flipping the lid to Axel's zippo open and closed.

His favorite lighter! It was so burny and awesome with flames painted on the side! He'd had it since he was in the sixth grade! "That's mine!" he protested, starting after Roxas.

Roxas hmph'd. He was annoyed by the fact that he was forced to steal from Axel to get his attention. "C'mon, give it back! Why are you putting me in this position?" Axel whined, catching up to him as he weaved through the hedged walls of the maze.

"Position? Axel, you were about to happily run off with your tail between your legs!" Roxas exclaimed, stopping to face him. He stuffed the lighter in his back pocket and crossed his arms. "Now there's the castle behind us. Which way should we go?" He attempted to direct the subject back to the Labyrinth.

"C'mon Roxas, that's my property! It isn't fair!" Axel argued, facing off in front of him. He thought of grabbing Roxas and trapping his arms while he dug into his back pocket, but thought maybe it wasn't the best idea to assault him while he was this irritated.

"You're right, it isn't fair. But that's the way it is," Roxas retorted, turning his back and stalking off.

Axel followed him closely. "I can't just go off and do what I want, if Riku finds out-"

"What are you so afraid of Riku for?"

"I'm not AFRAID of him," Axel responded quickly and forcefully. He wasn't!

"I thought MAYBE that your best friend was more important than what RIKU might do-"

"He is! I mean, you are! My best friend," Axel decided, or remembered. He almost said 'The more bester friend of anything to me ever!' But that hardly made any sense.

"You aren't being much of a best friend right now," Roxas muttered, turning the corner sharply. He almost ran into a hedge. Were they walking in circles? Roxas didn't know, he was so frustrated.

"What do you expect? I-"

"IF YOU WONT HELP ME JUST GO THE HELL AWAY!" Roxas yelled at him. He immediately regretted saying that, and opened his mouth to apologize when they heard a loud shouting from a few hedges away.

"GET OFF LET GO LET ME DOWN OW YOU STUPID LITTLE OWWW!"

"Did you hear that?" Roxas asked, turning to where Axel was standing. He was surprised to find that Axel had gone. '_Ugh, I'm such a dumbass!' _He'd wanted Sora to go away, and that's what had gotten them into this mess. Now he'd blown up at the only friend he had in this stupid place, and he had left too.

"DON'T BITE! OWWW!" Shouted the voice, jolting Roxas from his thoughts. He headed quickly towards the voice, and it began mingling with the shouts of smaller creatures, egging the other voice on and seemingly torturing it. Roxas carefully peeked around the hedge.

"Demyx?!" He muffled his surprise by putting his hand over his mouth. Demyx was Axel's neighbor, they all went to high school together. Everyone knew he had a crush on the head of the Physics club, Zexion. (That is, everyone but Zexion knew it.) Roxas had seen them before in the first game he was dropped into, but he had no idea if they were actually trapped here. Judging from the situation at hand, Demyx at least was.

Demyx was suspended from a tree by his hands and feet. He was swinging and swaying while being tortured by four or five goblins, outfitted in helmets. They used sticks with small biting creatures tied to the ends to torment him, nipping and chomping while they encouraged each other. Demyx whined and complained, thrashing and trying to escape.

Roxas looked around for something he could use. "If only I had something to throw…" he found a rock hiding under the hedge and picked it up. Aiming, and wishing he were better at throwing, he chucked it at one of the goblins. The rock bonked him on the head and spun his helmet, causing him to cry out and stumble around blindly. Roxas picked up another rock and chucked it at another goblin, rendering him helpless as well. They stumbled around, hitting and biting each other, until one of them called retreat and they all scampered off.

Roxas approached Demyx, trying to think of the best way to get him down. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," Demyx whined and complained.

"Now, stop that," Roxas said, pulling at the ropes that bound him.

"OW IT HURTS!" Demyx wailed, thrashing a little, almost whacking Roxas in the head.

"Is that any way to treat someone who's trying to help you?" Roxas said, narrowing his eyebrows. "Don't you want me to help you down?"

Demyx was finally quiet, and just nodded. Roxas pulled the knot out of the rope and Demyx crashed to the ground. "Oh, sorry," Roxas apologized.

"Ow," Demyx whined again, rubbing his bum. "Thanks." He said. Roxas helped him to his feet. "Are you hurt?" Roxas asked, just in case. Not as if he could really do anything about it if he was hurt.

"I'm fine," Demyx replied, taking a step. He winced. Well, his knee hurt some.

"Let me help you," Roxas offered, slinging Demyx's arm around his shoulder. He helped him walk a little, taking the pressure off his knee.

"What are you doing here, Roxas?" Demyx asked curiously. "Not that I know what I'm doing here either…" he added as an afterthought.

Roxas sighed, a little relieved. At least Demyx already knew who he was, that was good. Roxas wondered if he should apologize for being kind of rude to him earlier back in that game.

"So…I guess it would be useless to ask you the way to the castle, huh?" Roxas replied, dejected.

"Sorry," Demyx shrugged. Roxas probably knew more about where they were and what they were doing than he did. "I'll come with you, in any case," Demyx offered.

Roxas smiled at him. At least he finally had someone along this wretched journey. Demyx informed him that he would be okay to walk, and Roxas let go of him, watching him carefully as he tested his weight on his knee. Demyx gave him a thumbs up, and Roxas turned to continue on, only to find the way obstructed by two doors.

"Huh? Where did these come from?" Roxas asked. He was sure there was a way there only a minute ago. Demyx only shrugged.

"Well, what do you think? Which should we choose out of these two ugly characters?" Roxas asked, poking one of the face-like doorknockers in the forehead.

"Its very rude to stare!" One of the creature faces suddenly said, opening it's eyes. The knocker ring went directly through its head, where its ears were positioned.

Roxas was a little taken aback. "Uh…Sorry. We were just wondering which door to choose."

The second knocker, with the knocking ring hanging in its mouth, muttered something incomprehensible. Roxas felt a mild wave of deja vu, and he hoped to heck this wasn't another riddle. He looked over at Demyx, who was easily amused and had a sort of silly grin on his face, watching the ugly creature faces speak. Demyx would be no good for riddles. At all.

"Don't talk with your mouthful," Ears-knocker remarked to Mouth-knocker.

"I'm nt tlkg wif my mth fll!" Mouth-knocker exclaimed.

"I can't understand you," Roxas informed him.

"What were you saying?" Ears-knocker asked as if he were having a senior moment.

Roxas rolled his eyes and grabbed the ring in Mouth-knocker's face. He proceeded to yank it out, and hand it to Demyx to hold. Demyx seemed fascinated and turned it over in his hands.

"Oh! Oh! It feels so good to have that out!" Mouth-knocker exclaimed happily.

"What were you saying?" Roxas asked him, trying to hold his patience. He just wanted them to tell him which way to the castle.

Mouth-knocker went off on a tangent, glancing over at his companion. "Its no good talking to him," he rambled. "He's as deaf as a post."

"Mumble mumble! You're a great conversational partner!" Ears-knocker said loudly and sarcastically.

"All you can do is moan!" Mouth-knocker defended himself.

"No good. Can't hear you," Ears-knocker replied solemnly.

Roxas was growing impatient. He had a brother to save. He didn't exactly appreciate standing around waiting for ugly faces to stop arguing with each other.

"Where do these doors lead?" he demanded.

"WHAT?" Ears-knocker asked. He was worse than a Grandpa who had forgotten to switch his hearing aide on.

"Search me, we're only the knockers!" Mouth-knocker exclaimed, rather proudly. Demyx leaned over towards Roxas. "I bet they think they're funny," he whispered.

"Well, how do we get through?" Roxas tried again. He hated having to ask 'the right question' all the time. You had to sift through a lot of other, stupid questions to get to it.

"HUH?" Ears-knocker asked, again. Roxas was half tempted to yell that he wasn't talking to him, but got the impression he wouldn't hear it anyway.

"Knock, and the door will open," Mouth-knocker stated plainly.

"Oh," Roxas replied. He looked at Demyx with a 'Well, this was particularly stupid,' look. Demyx nodded and handed Roxas the ring back.

"Oh no! I don't want that thing back in my mouth!" Mouth-knocker exclaimed, closing his mouth defiantly. Roxas lifted and eyebrow. He wasn't taking crap from a freaking door knocker. He plugged the thing's nose until he was forced to open his mouth to breath, and shoved the ring back in.

Roxas lifted the ring and knocked on the door, which swung open promptly. Roxas stepped through, pushing the door out of the way a little. Well, at least they seemed to be on the right track, and at least he was with Demyx now. "Hey Demyx, where do you think we'll go ne-" he turned around to see the door closed, and no Demyx in sight.

* * *

Things get a little more magical in the next chapter: "Under the Spell"!

PS: Thanks so much for reviews, everyone. Its really encouraging!


	9. Under the Spell

A/N: We've entered into the last half of the story. 'Epic' is only sixteen chapters long. Thanks so much for the reviews and encouragement! Enjoy.

* * *

Roxas entered what looked like the throne room of a vast palace. The walls around him were shimmering hues of green, from bright and bold in the open to dark and near black in the shadows. A grand chandelier dangled without sway in the middle of the room, illuminating its entirety. Roxas felt slightly blinded by its brilliance, and he felt as if his dark outfit clashed rather horribly with his radiant surroundings. 

Roxas started down the bright yellow path of brick laid right in the middle of the floor that led to the empty throne at the end of the room. He stopped when he spotted a large, rounded cage rising up from the floor on his right. Bunches of little goblins were held captive inside, wings protruding from their backs. Every so often, one of them would jump about, flapping its wings, and try to breach the cage. It would fail, and tumble back down miserably. Roxas felt sorry for the poor things.

"I knew you'd be back!" a voice boomed from seemingly nowhere. Roxas looked around, trying to ascertain where it was coming from. He saw no giant speakers, and saw no one.

"Hear me out," Riku's voice echoed only a little in the largely empty room as he stepped out from behind the throne chair. He was dressed all in green, the darkest green you could get without going to black. It still clashed pretty badly with his hair. "I never meant to harm you." He sat lightly on the arm of the throne.

"Well, you have harmed me," Roxas informed him. "You chainsawed my effing head off!"

"It wasn't real," Riku defended himself.

"Its kind of hard to understand what's real and what's not! It was scary as HELL like it was real!"

"Sorry," Riku said, shrugging a little. "I kind of realize it, and maybe I regret it," he stood from the chair and started over to Roxas. "Roxas…"

Roxas pointed at him rather dramatically. "Don't you come over here, you freak. Why do you have goblins caged up?" He changed his dramatic pointing in the direction of the spherical cell. "I'm going to set them free! And you're going to give back Sora! And don't you dare interfere or call your guards or something!" Roxas demanded.

Riku continued to approach him. Roxas went into a little of a defensive stance. Real Riku, he could trust. Crazed Riku, he wasn't so sure. "I'm not calling anyone," Riku assured him. "The truth is, I'm glad to see you again. I've been a little unsure of myself lately, and I think you have too."

"How would you know?" Roxas challenged. How close was Riku to realizing their situation?

"Oh, but I do. I do know," Riku insisted. He kind of didn't, but he wasn't going to let on about that in front of Roxas. Riku was trying to get answers just as much as Roxas was. "I can't explain it exactly. You know what I mean?"

Roxas knew what he meant, and he could explain it. He wasn't sure if he should, though.

"Roxas, you've been really strong through all of this. Aren't you tired of being the strong one? Wouldn't you like to take it more slowly?" Riku suggested. His thoughts were jumbled. He didn't know if he was trying to get Roxas to give up, or get them to work together for some reason. Riku held out his hand to Roxas. "So, let's start over again."

Roxas didn't reach out for his hand. In fact, he took a step back. "Don't you think I wish we could? That we could go back to the time before I said those things about Sora, when everything was normal? When we were friends."

"It's not like I asked for any of this or planned it in advance!" Riku protested, retracting his hand. He paced around the room slowly, explaining his situation to Roxas. "Suddenly I was here, respected, worshipped, even. And those little things were calling me their King. They think I'm some kind of wonderful." He turned his back on Roxas. "I'm a little confused, if you couldn't tell. Of course, there was a sense of power and so I-"

"So you lied to us?" Roxas filled in. Had Riku been aware the whole time, and he had just been playing around with everyone?!

"Well, no. But they already believed it, so did I, actually. It wasn't my fault. It was their own opinion, really. I mean, a rich man's a thief or philanthropist." Riku said, shrugging.

Roxas crossed his arms. "What do you expect from me? You want to ask for my help?" he asked. Riku had to be getting at something.

Riku turned back around, avoiding eye contact with Roxas. "I don't understand what's going on, but the longer I'm with Sora, the more I remember. I have this facade that I have to keep up or otherwise…" Riku was worried what the goblins would do to him if he admitted to them that he wasn't their leader, their King, or maybe perhaps if they weren't even real. They were small, but there were a lot of them. "Look, I don't really need your help. I'm WARNING you that it will be harder from here on out." For the longer he delayed Roxas, the longer he spent with Sora, and the more everything would fall together.

"You put me through hell, Riku, and now you want me to endure MORE because you're too stubborn to ask for my help?" Roxas deduced. Roxas had always thought that Riku was a little thick headed. He was really difficult to deal with sometimes.

Riku didn't answer. He just turned around and stared at Roxas, as if he had made his decision and nothing Roxas was going to say could alter it.

"I might be willing to take a little more time. But first at least set those things free," Roxas nodded towards the prison. Riku huffed in a manner that suggested he was only doing it so he wouldn't be in debt to Roxas, and headed over to a giant leaver that was conveniently on the wall. He pulled it down all the way, and the releasing of locks could be heard. Several of the bars on the cage dropped into the floor, and the goblins hurried out in a frenzy.

Roxas spotted one that appeared to be stuck under a sheet. He climbed into the cage and reached for the sheet. "No!" Riku called, from across the room, and Roxas flung it off to reveal the corpse of the red guard from earlier in the Labyrinth, covered by the shield that looked like it had been hacked to bits in the assault.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Roxas asked, throwing the sheet back over it. What had Riku done?

"What is what?" Riku asked. He didn't have a clue as to what was under the sheet in the first place. He just had the hunch it wasn't anything good. And judging from Roxas' reaction, he had been right.

"Don't be a smartass! What the hell did you do to that guard?!" Roxas stepped out of the cage and headed straight for Riku, who started to back up. He wasn't really afraid of Roxas, but Roxas was pretty destructive when he was angry.

"I didn't do anything. If anything the goblins did it. They were instructed to punish anyone who helped you out." Riku stated calmly. Whatever had happened, it wasn't his fault! He was convinced of that.

Roxas was angry, and terrified of what Riku had done to Sora. Sora had helped him out in the last game he was in. Was Sora…? "I'm going to kill you if you lay a single finger on Sora, I swear Riku," Roxas threatened. Riku's back hit the wall.

Just as Roxas was convinced he was going to show Riku's face what his fist looked like, the grand double doors of the chamber burst open and Axel rushed in backed by at least five men.

"Halt!" He demanded, stepping in between Roxas and Riku. "Are you alright?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Feh," Riku replied, unhappy that it appeared he had to be saved by Axel.

"Axel?!" Roxas asked. He was wondering if Axel was going to show up in this story but, he was actually surprised he had. He didn't know if he should still be angry with him or not.

"I don't believe it…" he trailed off, looking Roxas in the eye. "Roxas…"

Roxas drew in his breath sharply. Had Axel fully remembered himself now? "Axel, I thought you were-"

"Shut up!" Axel told him, sternly, taking him by the shoulders and pushing him away from Riku.

"The goblins are starting a frenzy, sir!" One of the men exclaimed.

"Nevermind that! Go bring me…water! Lots of water!" he demanded. The guards looked confused. "Water…sir?" One of them asked of the silly command. "Yes! As much as you can carry!" Axel shouted at them, and they scurried out of the room.

"Axel…?" Roxas asked quietly. Maybe…he hadn't remembered himself. Then what was that Roxas had seen in his face just now?

"Would you be quiet?" Axel asked, sounding impatient. Roxas shut his mouth quickly. He waited until the chamber door had shut before sighing in relief.

"What the HELL," Riku demanded to know. It was his right to know what the hell.

"Shut up Riku, or I'll tell all the goblins the truth about you," Axel replied to Riku's glaring face. He turned back to Roxas, who he gave a gentle smile to. "Roxas, I'll deal with Riku, you should get out of here."

Roxas tried breathing again. He was tired of being so confused all the time. "You scared me, I thought you weren't your old self again," he said.

Axel placed his fingers under Roxas' chin and lifted his head up, forcing Roxas to look him in the eye. "I'm not exactly my old self again. I changed…a little bit."

The chamber doors opened again, but quietly, and Demyx rushed inside rather clumsily. "What's going on? Roxas?!" Demyx skidded over to where he was and embraced him in a big hug, nearly lifting the shorter kid off the ground. "Thank Oz you're alive! Only…you shouldn't have come. If anyone discoverates you…" he let Roxas go and spotted Riku, pointing at him. Ooooo. Too late.

"Demyx, you'd better go," Axel suggested, putting his hand lightly on Demyx's shoulder. Demyx looked a little confused.

"Axel, are you…?" He inquired. Axel nodded. Good, Axel was himself. "But is Riku…?" he pointed where Riku was standing, looking as if he were angry that he wasn't in on the conversation. Axel sort of looked away and shook his head only a tiny bit.

"I'm right here!" Riku demanded their attention. How rude of them to talk about him like he wasn't standing there!

Axel suddenly grabbed Roxas' shoulders and began pushing him towards one of the large, stained glass window of different shades and tints of green. "Roxas, c'mon."

"Uh, Axel!? What are you doing?" Demyx asked, starting after them. Axel held out his hand for Demyx to stay back.

"I'm going with him!" Axel exclaimed. He clicked the window open and a portion of it swung wide.

"What?" Demyx exclaimed. "What are you saying? All this time…the two of you?"

"The two of us what? What's he suggesting?" Roxas asked, as Axel attempted to push him out the window. Roxas was turning a bit red. "Demyx, i-it's not like that!"

"Actually, it is. Well, it isn't yet but…" Axel stuttered. Roxas' grabbed his arm. What was he getting at? Axel grabbed Roxas around the middle and hauled him out the window onto the ledge.

"A-axel. What's going on? Where are we-" Roxas tried to get any straight answer out of him.

The two of them hopped off the edge of the sill, into the soft, bright green grass of the decorative garden just outside the throne room. "It doesn't matter, run! And for once, I'm allowed to escape with you." Axel told him, taking his hand and pulling him along. Roxas followed closely, knowing that Axel knew exactly where he was going.

Riku sat in his throne chair, tapping his foot in an irritated fashion. Demyx stared out the open window. He had a bit of a smile on his face. "They deserve each other," he muttered.

Riku turned a small, glass bottle over in the palm of his hand. The green liquid inside caught the light and glinted unpleasantly in his eye. He put the bottle down moodily.

The chamber door opened, and Zexion slipped inside, solemn. "Axel captured him?" He asked flatly.

Riku rolled his eyes and stood from his chair. "Axel had other plans, apparently." Riku wasn't exactly opposed to what Axel had done. He just didn't want to admit to himself that Axel was being smarter about all this than he was.

"You mean…he hasn't been captured?" Zexion asked, a little bit of surprise in his voice.

"No. And with Axel with him, the expert on running away…" Riku said, crossing his arms.

Zexion walked over to the stained glass window and glanced out at the peaceful garden below. "Then we'll just force him to show himself," he said, as if this were the obvious choice.

Riku turned his back on Zexion. He'd already said he didn't NEED anyone's help. As far as he was concerned, this little side story was over. Though…he was mildly interested in what Zexion thought was a good plan to 'capture' Roxas. "But…how?" He desired to delay Roxas, in any case.

"Sora," Demyx muttered.

"What?" Zexion asked. "What did you say?"

"Use Sora, right? If Sora's in trouble, Roxas will come to you right away," Demyx pointed out. "If your intent was capture."

"It's a feasible idea, of course," Zexion admitted.

"No!" Riku exclaimed. "My intent in not to capture, so if either of you so much as think an arbitrary thought about harming Sora, it won't turn out pleasant for either of you." He wouldn't put Sora in danger. Riku recognized his instinct to protect Sora as something he'd always had. The possessiveness he was experiencing was a little new to him, but he took everything into account. Axel, Roxas, even Demyx seemed to already be comfortable with who they were. Zexion, it was difficult to tell anything with him in the first place. Only Riku was struggling with his memories, and identity. He knew he needed Sora for that, and even more so, just wanted Sora with him.

Riku followed the road of little yellow bricks out of the chamber, seriousness dominating his overall expression. Demyx and Zexion watched him leave, unsure of what came next for either of them.

* * *

Roxas felt like his legs couldn't run anymore. He had stumbled several times, and Axel had only helped him to his feet, rushing him along. Out through the garden, across the streets of cobblestone, dodging through buildings of brilliant green. They headed out of the city, and down the road laid with yellow bricks. They darted off the paved path for safety, and followed a less traveled dirt road through the woods until nightfall. 

"I can't run anymore," Roxas said, stopping to catch his breath. He bent over and put his hands on his knees.

"It's alright," Axel said, ruffling his hair a little as his chest heaved from overexertion as well. "I think we'll be okay, we're pretty far in the woods now, and it's getting dark."

Once Roxas had gone back to a normal breathing pattern, he took a look around. Axel was leaning against a tall evergreen tree. The woods were dotted with them, dark and looming, moss and other growth clinging to their trunks. "What do we do now?" Roxas asked.

"Just a little further and there's a small hunting cabin. This area is rarely hunted anymore so it's been more or less abandoned. We should be safe," Axel explained, placing a hand gently on Roxas' shoulder. "Can you make it? I'll carry you on my back if you want."

Roxas shook his head. "I'm fine," he responded, following after Axel as he started off down the path. They walked at a relaxed pace, and Roxas tried hard not to look around at how creepy the woods were getting. A hooting owl made Roxas jump, grabbing hold of Axel's arm. "Don't be afraid," Axel whispered, slipping his arm around Roxas and pulling him close.

"I'm not afraid," Roxas muttered. Axel chuckled. Roxas wouldn't admit he was scared of anything, even if he actually was. Axel was just glad that Roxas didn't push him away, and he could at least pretend as if he were protecting him.

They reached the small, slightly neglected cabin in about fifteen minutes. The door was locked, but Axel knew that the key was under the mat, and let them inside. He let Roxas go in first, and he stood in the center of the one room building, taking in the décor. One twin bed and one small table with two chairs. There was a sink and a measly bit of counter space, of course. A broken wood burning stove sat against the wall, and the bathroom was located outside. Roxas sat down in one of the chairs.

Axel closed the door quietly and sat down at the table as well, pulling out the lighter that Roxas had given him earlier. He carefully lit the lantern so that a dull glow filled the small cabin. "How about I keep yours, and I let you keep mine?" he suggested, extinguishing the flame on the lighter with a flip of the lid. He set it on the table in front of Roxas. "I know you liked it, though."

Roxas laughed a little, scooting his chair to the side so the lantern didn't obstruct his view of Axel's face. He picked up the lighter. "You remember all that, then?" Roxas asked, reluctantly reaching his hand across the table. He opened Axel's fingers and placed the small metal thing in his hand.

Axel closed his fingers around it and smiled a little. "I remember everything," he assured Roxas, putting the lighter back in his pocket. He set his hand back down on the table and Roxas caught it with his own almost immediately. Axel couldn't tell if Roxas' cheeks were turning red, or it was just the light cast by the lantern. "Roxas…what are you…"

"Maybe," Roxas started, swallowing any nervousness that threatened to well up in him. "I just need a little help believing it's really you with me right now." He laced their fingers together, feeling the warmth of Axel's hand on his own skin that had started to grow cold with the settling night. "I don't think I could have foreseen all that's happened in my wildest dreams and, I mean, I know that Riku said that this wasn't real but…"

"Just for now, its okay to pretend," Axel said, squeezing Roxas' hand a little bit.

"What?" Roxas asked, surprised at the response.

Axel pushed his chair back, and lifted their linked hands up over the lantern, coming around to Roxas' side of the table. He roughly pulled Roxas out of the chair, causing him to stumble forward. Axel caught him carefully, one arm wrapped around his waist. "Just for this moment, its okay." Axel told him.

"Riku asked if I could take longer, so he could spend time with Sora and, I think I might not mind tonight. As long as you stay with me. Sounds kind of stupid, I know," it did sound cheesy, maybe a little like one of those passionate love songs, but Roxas didn't care so much.

Axel unexpectedly picked Roxas up off the ground and threw him over his shoulder like a potato sack. "Then maybe I'm stupid," he said, carrying Roxas over to the twin bed. He hoped it was up to holding the both of them. He plopped Roxas down onto it, despite his flushing face and protests. "Or maybe I'm brilliant, for finally seeing it, you never know."

"S-seeing what?" That he was himself? Roxas would hardly call that a stroke of genius. He scooted back a little on the wire frame bed as Axel's knee hit the surface, and he started towards him very slowly.

"Somewhere along in this twisted fairytale, I-" Axel chuckled. "Fell under your spell, for lack of better words." He placed one hand on the other side of Roxas and leaned over him.

Roxas felt his breath grow shorter. He wanted it, whatever Axel was implying. Man, Roxas hoped Axel was implying what he thought he was. Please, please, please. "If this isn't real, what will happen after tonight?" It was important. He hadn't embarrassedly hidden his feelings this long to have Axel for only one night.

"Even if there's no future for us after tonight," Axel whispered, brushing his nose against Roxas'. "Won't it be worth it?"

Roxas' eyes slid closed, and he took a deep breath. He knew, but did he care? To be so close to Axel right now, only to have that taken away from him, possibly forever? Just like everything else in the Labyrinth, it wasn't fair. The lantern on the table flickered, grew rather weak, and went out.

"Well?" Axel asked his breath tickling Roxas' lips.

"The lantern is out," Roxas whispered, opening his eyes. He could barely see Axel's face in the darkness, but he was smiling.

"We'll borrow the moonlight," Axel replied, able to take a hint from such a sporadic subject change. He placed a barely there kiss on Roxas' forehead, and carefully lay down next to him on as much room as the twin bed could muster. He pulled Roxas close. "Go to sleep," he instructed him.

"You won't be there when I wake up," Roxas was certain of it. He had left only Demyx behind at that time. "So I don't want to sleep."

"Isn't there someone who needs you a little more than me right now?" Axel reminded him.

Roxas buried his face in Axel's shirt. Sora did. Roxas had no idea how safe he was. Sora needed him badly, no matter what Riku had said about delaying. Roxas nodded against Axel's chest and closed his eyes tight, willing himself to fall sleep listening to Axel's beating heart.

* * *

Tension, threats, presents, missing persons and hardcore weirdness in the next chapter: "Self Defense Against Fresh Fruit!"

PS: Some of the chapter titles are parodies, too. Can you guess any of them? (Don't feel bad, they're mostly obscure.)


	10. Self Defense Against Fresh Fruit

Riku burst into the throne room of the castle rather angrily. The goblins were sitting about, laughing and drinking as usual. Some of them had started telling absurd stories to one another complete with primitive costumes and such. Sora was awake, and sitting upright in the throne chair, a few of the goblins teaching him how to play a dice game he didn't quite get. "NO ONE," Riku bellowed loudly, and immediately seized everyone's attention. "No one is to do ANYTHING without my consent, do you understand?" The goblins cowered and nodded apologetically. "Good. I'm glad we've cleared that all up," he replied in a lighter voice that made them all relax a little. He was sore about the guard, yes, but Riku wasn't mean.

Riku stalked over to Sora and the few goblins that were playing with him scampered away. "Where did you go?" Sora asked.

Riku sat down near him and rubbed his temple. "To see Roxas," he muttered.

Sora perked up a bit. "He's still coming to get me then?"

Riku avoided his eye contact moodily. "Of course he is, bastard. He couldn't do me this one favor."

"Don't say that about Roxas. What did you ask him to do?" Sora prompted, putting his hand on Riku's arm.

Riku looked at Sora's hand on his arm, and followed it up to his face. "Take his time a little. Let me have you for a while longer."

Sora smiled at him as if he were silly. "Don't be dumb. You'll always have me. That's what best friends are for!"

Riku stared at Sora curiously. Best…friends. Riku didn't feel like the friends type. Yet, Roxas had called them friends as well. "Roxas thought…that I might hurt you," Riku pointed out. He wanted Sora's opinion on that matter.

Sora laughed lightly, as if it were a joke. "You're being lame, Riku. Roxas knows you would never, ever do that. In fact, I don't even believe he said that. Did you make that up?" Sora asked.

Riku was going to respond that no, he hadn't made it up at all. Roxas had really looked like he thought that. Riku didn't know why, but he felt it was important to win Roxas' trust back, too. If someone was important to Sora, then Riku felt more inclined to present himself as a trustworthy person to them.

Riku caught Sora's hand that was resting on his shoulder and held it lightly with his own. He stared Sora down rather seriously, perhaps a bit too seriously. "What exactly am I to you?"

Sora's mouth moved a little bit like a fish out of water. What did he really say to that? _'You're my best friend, you're really close to me. But, maybe sometimes I wish it was a little more than that.' _Is exactly what he thought. As for what he should tell Riku, he wasn't so sure. He couldn't lie to him, of course. That wouldn't help at all. "I…uh…" Sora stuttered a little bit. "You've been my best friend ever since we were little, Riku. We've been through a lot, you know. And you're really important to me," he said quietly, all of which was true.

Riku drew his face right up to Sora's, their noses almost touching. "We're close, then?" Riku asked, searching Sora's face for confirmation.

"Y-yeah," Sora replied, unable to keep his face from heating up.

"You're unsure," Riku decided, from Sora's avoidant expression. He could tell that Sora wasn't telling him something, and he needed all the information. Just then a goblin approached him and pulled on his pantleg to get his attention.

"What?!" Riku snapped at it, and it jumped a little. "S-scout just reported he saw Axel heading back to Roxas to help him out!" It said quickly with a high-pitched squeak.

Riku narrowed his eyebrows and gently let go of Sora's hand he had been holding onto. "He's going to mess up everything," Riku mumbled, standing up. The goblin scurried out of his way. Riku stood there thinking for a moment, and glanced back at Sora briefly before exiting the chamber.

Sora sighed. Well, Riku could only get better from here, right?

* * *

When Roxas woke, he was standing exactly where he had left off. He heard the door shut behind him and turned to see Demyx standing there. 

"So?" Demyx asked, a suspicious smile crossing his face.

Roxas raised his eyebrow. "So, what? Let's get going," he said, heading off into what looked like a rather questionable swampy area. The trees looked fuzzy and the path seemed to rise and fall for no particular reason.

"So, what did you and Axel do?" Demyx asked curiously. He remembered the last story very well, thank you very much.

Roxas kept his back turned to Demyx to hide his reddening face. "You're sure nosy," he mumbled in response.

Demyx was about to laugh good naturedly when something rustled in the bush next to him. He jumped and little and hurried to catch up to Roxas' side. His face kept running into long, drooping vines that swayed from the dark treetops. "Its kind of scary," he said, with a little shudder.

"Do you need me to hold you hand?" Roxas asked, sarcastically. Knowing Demyx, he might just say yes. Roxas put at least a foot between the two of them. "You're bigger than me yet you're scared," he pointed out.

Demyx swallowed nervously, passing under a patch of sunlight. "Yeah," he replied, avoiding what looked like a rather dubious plant.

Roxas ignored the surroundings, intent on getting to the castle as fast as possible. It wasn't even windy and rainy and thundering and lightning! Demyx was just a wimp. "It's not even that scary, Demyx-" Roxas pointed out, looking behind him.

He sighed. No Demyx. Right. He was half tempted to take this as a normal occurrence in which your companions disappear on you. A little part of him desired to check and make sure that he hadn't been snapped up by a bear trap or anything, though. Roxas cupped his hands around his mouth and backtracked a little, shouting Demyx's name here and there. He let his feet lead him across the swamp, this way and that, calling out in case Demyx could hear him. Just for the heck of it, he threw Axel's name in there a few times. After a bit, he became irritated enough that he started shouting deceased Presidents and a couple of his old Jr. High gym coaches names.

* * *

Axel's ears twitched at the sound of his name behind called. He was wandering rather aimlessly in the direction he knew the castle probably was. He started to walk a little faster and more purposefully as he heard Roxas' voice calling his name now and again. "I'm coming, Roxas," he muttered to himself, darting in between a few rocks. As he turned the corner, he was confronted with Riku's figure leaning against a particularly large rock, arms crossed. 

"Well, if it isn't you," he said, with the slightest disappointment in his voice. "Where are you going?"

Axel stopped abruptly. "Uh…well. Roxas and I got separated, but I hear him so I was just gonna. Ya know. Go take him back to the beginning like you wanted," he lied. Huge lie.

"I see," Riku replied, not moving an inch from his spot. "For a moment I thought you were running to help him." His voice bled sarcasm. Of course Axel was running to help him. He pushed off the rock with his shoulder. "But, uh, no. Not after my warning. That would be stupid, wouldn't it?"

Axel slowly made his way around where Riku stood stationary trying to casually slip away from the situation. "You bet it would!" Axel agreed. "Me? Help him? After your warning?" He chuckled a little seemingly at the thought of it.

"Sucks to be you," Riku informed him. "Knowing the way, yet not being able to help poor Roxas."

Axel narrowed his eyebrows just a little, seeing that Riku was keeping his distance. Axel was taller than Riku, therefore if Riku approached him directly he couldn't be as intimidating. Then again, it seemed to show he was a little unsure. "You and I are friends, aren't we?" Riku asked rather suddenly.

"More or less," Axel replied. He hung out with Riku from time to time. Most of the time they hung out, at least Sora or Roxas were there also.

"Then couldn't you do this one thing for me?" Riku asked, sincerity accidentally eeking out of his voice.

Axel barely smiled at him. "Right, right. You're remembering. I'll just go grab him and take him back to the beginning," Axel said, putting his hand up in an awkward sort of goodbye wave and turning to leave.

"Wait," Riku demanded. "I've got a much better plan." It was stupid to trust Axel with anything that involved Roxas. Riku was aware of his protective behavior towards him. Probably because he exhibited the same towards Sora. Riku produced one of the baseball sized crystals from somewhere unknown and tossed it at Axel. "Give him this."

Axel caught the thing, and it appeared as a small peach in his hand. "What is it?" he asked, anyway. He didn't know how much he trusted something that came from Riku right now.

"It's a present," Riku stated simply.

"Will it hurt him?" Axel wasn't keen on the idea at all.

"Why the concern?" Riku asked, as if he felt like being particularly nosy right now.

"Don't be stupid. I won't harm him," Axel replied.

Riku sighed, looking upwards at the fantasy sky. "I couldn't either," he muttered, remembering the time in the first game. He could have done Roxas so much more damage than he did. "Since he's Sora's brother."

"The great Goblin King is losing his head over an insignificant boy," Axel teased.

"I'm not losing my head!" Riku protested moodily. Sora wasn't insignificant, either. "We're close," Riku muttered. He knew it, too. Not exactly like brothers. They were somehow different.

"Uh-huh," Axel replied, feeling a little bold. "Face it, someone as cute and kind as Sora could never fall for a guy like you, Riku. Arrogant, AND selfish," Axel pointed out.

"You have a lot of room to talk, with your trying to discreetly ask Roxas on dates all the time. What makes you think he'd actually say yes to such a stubborn and egotistical person?" Riku defended himself. Neither boy thought they had much of a chance for anything more than 'best friends' with Sora or Roxas.

Axel scoffed at Riku's pointing out of his own flaws and turned his back on him. "That's what you think," he replied, alluding to the fact that something had already happened between himself and Roxas. In truth, nothing had. Roxas had stopped Axel before then, which Axel admitted still jabbed at him a little bit, but he tried to ignore it. "Have fun being 'best friends'," he told Riku.

"It doesn't matter what you think," Riku replied. It mattered what he thought. It mattered even more what Sora thought. "Give him that thing," Riku demanded of Axel. "Or I'll push you into the Bog of Eternal Stench," he threatened.

"Whatever," Axel replied, tucking the peach in his cargo pants pocket.

Riku frowned and took the opposite direction out that Axel was leaving through. "Heh, if you can get him to kiss you, I'll turn you into a prince," he offered.

"Oh really?" Axel replied, skeptical.

"Prince of the Land of Stench," Riku replied, with a small chuckle. Axel shook his head as he watched Riku's back retreat out of the corner of his eye, before heading onward where he could still hear Roxas' shouts.

* * *

Riku returned to the castle in a bad mood already, fearing what Axel had said to be actually true. That Sora could only ever see him as his best friend. He felt the identifying memories, the certain feelings and thoughts coming back to him every single minute he was with Sora. On top of that, he felt as if some of the feelings were increasing, pushed along by all his uncertainties about their relationship. 

Riku expected to be fully recovered from his identity loss within the next hour or so, with Sora's help of course. Yet when he saw, upon marching into his throne room, that the big chair was empty, he stared at it curiously for quite some time.

Riku stopped a passing goblin. "Did you see Sora leave?" he asked it. It looked at the empty throne, then around the room. "Uh…no your Kingliness," it replied. It shouted about the room to ascertain if anyone had seen Sora recently. All the goblins shook their heads in response.

Riku sat down in his chair, irritation feeding a headache that he felt growing. "Could you all please try and FIND him?!" He insisted urgently. The Goblins sort of looked at each other.

"NOW!" Riku barked at them, standing abruptly to emphasize his point. They all scampered off to search the various parts of the castle. Riku was worried, really worried about Sora wandering off in a place he knew nothing about, still sick to boot. He hoped sincerely that he'd come strolling back inside the room in just a moment. Riku bit his lip and kept his feet busy pacing while he waited.

* * *

Roxas got tired of calling for no one that was answering, and started trudging through the swamp like area by his lonesome. Though dark, droopy, and a little questionable, he was determined not to be afraid of his surroundings. Only Demyx was scared of stuff like ugly trees and bushes that were on fire.

Wait a minute…! Roxas skirted around what looked like a flaming bush. Though it was of the same color scheme, it wasn't exactly on fire. It was more like fuzzy now that Roxas looked at it. He thought it was probably best to avoid it, and continued on. After a moment he heard a tapping noise behind him. Other tapping noises soon accompanied him as he entered a small clearing. Why did he get the feeling something even weirder than usual was going to seek his company soon?

Roxas was correct, of course. He was barred from leaving the clearing by another two bushes that popped out of seemingly nowhere. He started hearing a few muffled shouts of excitement, a few whistles, as the tapping grew louder and more bushes emerged. "What's going on?" he asked aloud, backing up the way he came, only to turn and be confronted by an extremely ugly creature with firey fur all over its body. All of the things that Roxas previously thought were bushes started to stand up on two legs and close in on him with their wild eyes.

"What do you want?" He asked them, growing slightly nervous. Slowly, they began dancing about him, silly looking expressions on their face. "We're out to have a good time!" The one closest to him said, raising its eyebrows. "That's right!" another one echoed from behind him.

Roxas tried to back up to anywhere that wasn't here, but the creatures surrounded him and began singing and dancing. Softly at first, but growing more bold in their movements and vocal with their song. Roxas grew more and more on edge. _'Holy shit this is some kind of freaky furry gang rape, isn't it?' _He thought, panicking a little. He watched one of the creatures detach his own hand and light it on fire, somehow materializing another one onto the vacant stump of his wrist.

Roxas gagged as another creature pulled his arm off, and another popped his eyes out of his head, rolling them across the ground. All the freaky creatures laughed as he popped them back in. Roxas rubbed his own eye absently, ready to kick in the face any of the nasty things that came too close to him. One creature pulled off his whole head, and threw it at another, who took off his own leg to hit it back to the headless one.

Roxas began looking for an avenue of escape, as the dancing and singing got louder and more rowdy. Heads started to fly this way and that. Suddenly, one of the firey creatures dropped out on nowhere onto Roxas' shoulders. This must have been the cue for all of them to attack, as they started pulling at his limbs and twisting his head. "Hey!" One of them yelled. "His head don't come off!"

Roxas pushed the creatures away with surprising ease, knocking them to the ground. He threw the one off his shoulders. "Of course it doesn't!" He yelled at them.

They looked mildly shocked and offended. "He's right! It's stuck on!" The one that had been on his shoulders shouted. "Hey! Where you goin' with a head like that?" One of them yelled at him. Roxas prepared himself to fight them off. "I know what we can do! Take off his head!" One shouted, and they began to close in on him again. "Take him apart!" They yelled.

Roxas saw no other option but to reach out and grab the nearest head. It popped right off the creature's body and he chucked it into the woods. "Hey! That's his head!" One of the creatures cried in indignation. Roxas turned and grabbed its head too, flinging it in a random direction. "Hey! That's my head!" It protested as it sailed away. Roxas snatched the head of every creature he could get his hands on, and hurled them away violently, despite their cries.

Roxas took off as soon as all of them were beheaded, knowing very well that wouldn't stop them for long. He needed to get away. He darted between a few trees, down no path in particular. He heard shouting behind him and near him.

"Hey! It's against the rules to throw other people's heads!" "You're only allowed to throw your own head!" "That's right! Where's the referee?!" "Now we gotta take off your head!" "We get a free throw!"

"Somebody stop him!" They yelled, as Roxas was confronted with a brick wall. Crap! He was totally trapped! He ran along it a bit, the creatures closing in on him. "Get a saw!" One of them cried, and horrible memories of chainsaw man flooded his head. "Go away!" He shouted at them, hoping to find a place he could climb up the rocks. "Play the game!" "Don't quit!"

"Leave me alone!" Roxas said, panicking, pressing up against the rock surface. Something fell down in front of his face unexpectedly. Rope? He followed it upwards to see Axel looking over the edge. He had rarely been more happy to see him ever.

"Axel!" Roxas yelled, grabbing the rope. Axel started to pull him up as the creatures bombarded him from the bottom, insisting he take off his arms and ears, that he didn't need two of them. "Shoo! Go away!" Axel told them, helping Roxas over the edge. The things finally realized that they weren't going to get to rip apart Roxas' body, and simply whined in an annoyed fashion from below.

"Axel!" Roxas repeated, overwhelmingly glad to see him. He just want to…yeah. He was going to. Roxas threw his arms around Axel. "You came to help me," he said, standing on his toes to reach Axel's face.

"No Roxas-!" Axel started to say, but was interrupted by Roxas' mouth attacking his lips in a hurried and slightly clumsy way. Axel was shocked at first, but he returned the enthusiasm anyway. It wasn't quite how he'd imagined his first kiss with Roxas to be (if he had ever kissed him at all), but he'd take it. Just as Axel was about to put his arm around Roxas' waist to support him, the ground lurched beneath them and they dropped into a crumbling mess of a hole, shouting the whole way down.

* * *

How long until Riku gets a clue? Will it be too late? Find out in the next chapter: "Viva La Vie Boheme!" 


	11. Viva La Vie Boheme

Roxas woke with a start, and found he was sleeping on a desk. He lifted his head to find a strip of film stuck to his face. Roxas blinked a few times and peeled it off, tossing it in a pile of other negatives nearby. He looked out the frost encrusted window into the night and shivered. It was cold, real cold. The apartment he was in seemed really drafty, and not very well lit. He stared at the calendar on the wall next to the window. The date read December 24th, 1990. The clock ticking away next to it read 10pm.

Roxas turned at the sound of a plucking guitar behind him. He made out Riku's form in the dim light, holding an old acoustic. He'd never seen Riku play guitar before, he couldn't imagine why he suddenly knew how to now. Still feeling a little groggy from his nap, he didn't bother to get up out of his chair. Riku didn't look particularly threatening right now. "Riku?" Roxas asked. "If you did anything to Sora I'd be forced to kill you. I should warn you that at this point, I might enjoy it."

Riku laughed a little. He didn't move from his spot on the table, but stopped plucking his guitar. "It's cute how you look out for him. I really owe you something good when we get home, for the trouble." Not that it was really his fault he was stamped as the bad guy this whole time, but he could at least make it up to the lot of them for his assholishness. Maybe take them out to ice cream or something.

"Home…?" Roxas asked, getting up from his chair. "So then…you know." He sighed, going over to the table Riku was perched on. He leaned against it.

"Yes, I know," Riku responded, reaching over and mussing Roxas' hair roughly. Roxas pulled away with a frown. He hated it when Riku did that. It meant he was treating him like he was a little kid, even if he didn't treat Sora like that.

"Then, now that you know what's going on, you can take us home?" Roxas asked, hopefully. Riku was supposed to be the powerful King type person in this whole mess.

Riku put the guitar down next to him. "How am I supposed to do that? I don't know," Riku admitted, shrugging. "Besides, Sora is missing."

"Missing?" Roxas exclaimed, climbing up on the table next to Riku. "What the hell do you mean, missing? You were supposed to watch out for him!" Riku failed on several levels right now.

"I know that! I got back from talking to Axel and he was GONE. The goblins looked everywhere in the castle for him, I looked everywhere!" Riku replied, the bottled up worry seeping out from him.

Roxas practically growled at Riku. "He's still sick and its effing COLD outside. He's an idiot, no. You're BOTH idiots." It was effing cold inside, too. Roxas wrapped his arms around himself. "Look after we find Sora, we're freaking out of here. You find the way," Roxas demanded.

Riku huffed, annoyed. It wasn't his fault! Roxas tended to blame him for most things. "The best thing I can come up with, is that we'll be able to go home after we finish the story," Riku pointed out.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Which means I finish the Labyrinth, right?"

"You're pretty close?" Riku offered.

"No thanks to you, loser," Roxas muttered. "Any more of these side stories and games and we'll be here forever. I know that's your doing."

"Okay, no more," Riku promised.

There was a ringing of a telephone nearby. Both boys looked at the phone, then at each other, as if they dared the other person to answer it. "Who is it?" Roxas asked. Riku shrugged. "How should I know? I'm less in control of this stuff than before."

Eventually, the answering machine picked up. "SPEAK," called Roxas and Riku's voice in unison before the beep.

"Hey, its us. Throw down the key," came Demyx's voice over the phone, before the click of hanging up.

Riku looked at him. "Demyx?" He asked. He vaguely remember that Demyx was in there with them, but he had only seen him once.

Roxas hopped off the table. "Who's home?" he asked, curious who Demyx had brought with him. He went over to the large window and unlatched it, swinging it open. Roxas crawled through onto the metal porch. Thank goodness he was wearing a sweater, a jacket, and a scarf. He wasn't really sure what key he was supposed to throw down, but he searched his pockets and found it inside the jacket. Roxas leaned over the railing and Demyx waved at him from the street, Zexion standing close by. Geeze, the street looked shady. What a crappy apartment. "Hey, Demyx! Zexion!" he called, throwing the key ring down to them. "Don't get your ass kicked or anything!" Roxas' way of telling them to be safe. Demyx caught the key and waved, heading for the apartment entrance.

Roxas climbed back inside and shut the window tight, latching it closed as the door to the loft was rolled back. Demyx and Zexion came in, stomping their feet a bit from the cold. Zexion was carrying a paper bag and rolled the door closed behind them. "Merry Christmas!" Demyx said cheerfully, immediately sweeping Roxas into a bear hug.

"Uh…welcome back?" Roxas replied, patting Demyx on the back lightly, not sure what he was supposed to say. "Take the key," Demyx said, putting it back in Roxas' pocket.

"Riku!" Demyx exclaimed, bounding over to him. Riku backed up on the table a little. "Merry Christmas!" Demyx said anyway, throwing his arms around Riku. Riku allowed Demyx to hug him, but he remained rather stiff. "Hello Demyx," was all he said.

"Its Christmas?" Roxas whispered to Zexion. Zexion shrugged in response. "Apparently. I seem to recall it was March when we left home."

Roxas nodded. It was early spring at the time. The flowers in the park were blooming, he recalled.

"Hey, any word from Sora?" Demyx asked, a bit of a concerned look crossing his face.

"No," Riku replied quietly. There was an awkward silence for a second, then Zexion put the bag down on the table.

"You have the projector out," Zexion pointed out. "You finished a movie?"

Roxas looked at Riku, who pointed back at him. "Me? Uh…sure?" Roxas replied. He had a piece of film stuck to his face after all.

"I wanna see it!" Demyx said, excitedly. He pulled some cups and a bottle of sparkling cider out of the bag they had brought. He began trying to twist the top off, without much luck. Zexion held his hand out and Demyx dejectedly handed the bottle over. Zexion twisted the cap off with ease and began pouring the bubby drink into cups for them all.

"Oh and uh, we didn't know what we were supposed to be doing and we were kind of bored and broke so…Zexion rewired the ATM at the grocery store. Now all you need is the code. Its uh…" Demyx thought about it for a minute.

"D-E-M-Y-X." Zexion provided. It was his own name, how did he forget it?

Demyx grinned broadly. "Got it memorized?"

The room fell silent and everyone stared at Demyx like he'd just said something totally inappropriate. Roxas suddenly burst out laughing. Riku rolled his eyes. "It almost doesn't make my ears bleed when you say it," he muttered.

Speaking of whom, a sudden shout came from outside. "ROXAS?! RIKU?! ANYONE?! HELP!"

All four of the boys moved quickly to the window and out onto the deck. Roxas leaned over the railing and spotted Axel standing on the street where Demyx and Zexion had previously been. He was holding Sora in his arms, obviously struggling a little. Sora looked as if he were out cold. Once he saw someone on the balcony, Axel shouted up to them. "I can't get him up the stairs!"

The four stood there in shock for a moment. "Hurry up, please!" Axel yelled at them urgently.

"Sora," Roxas muttered, and they headed back inside. Riku and Roxas went for the door, leaving Zexion and Demyx behind. Roxas followed Riku down the stairs and into the street. "I found him in the park," Axel explained. Looking closer, Roxas could see that he wasn't unconscious. His eyes were opening now and then, and he moaned a little bit. Riku helped Axel carry Sora up the stairs, surprised at how much of a dead weight he was when he wasn't helping the carrying process.

Roxas went on ahead and threw the door open. "There's no room on the couch!" he said, frantically.

"Clear off the table, we'll put him there," Axel instructed. Demyx helped Roxas gather a blanket and threw it over the table, placing some pillows down. Axel and Riku placed Sora down, and he immediately began to shiver, curling up on his side. Roxas bit his lip. He looked so sick. He felt like the worst brother in the entire world.

Riku climbed up on the table next to Sora, taking his head carefully in his hands, trying to get a good look at his face. Sora opened his eyes weakly. "Riku…" he muttered. "I'm back…"

Riku moved the hair off Sora's face. His forehead was burning, despite the temperature in the room. "Yeah, you're back," Riku told him softly.

"Riku," Axel said, stripping off his long coat. He helped lay it over Sora. "We need some heat," Riku replied. Sora's face may be flushed but he was shivering, too.

"I-I'll got buy some wood or some food or-" Roxas stuttered. He really had no idea what to do. The place didn't have hardly any light, much less heat inside.

"Shouldn't we call 911?" Zexion asked rather calmly. Roxas admired his abilities to stay levelheaded in panicking situations.

"Is 911 even real?" Demyx asked, looking at the phone.

Roxas knew Demyx was dumb sometimes but, geeze. "Of COURSE it's real, you dumbass!"

"I meant HERE," Demyx defended himself. Roxas glared at him anyway. Zexion patted Roxas' shoulder only once. "Demyx is probably right," he admitted.

Sora grabbed at Riku's sleeve. He felt so dizzy, so hot yet so cold at the same time. Breathing was difficult. He thought he felt alright when he'd left the castle for a bit to explore, but as night fell his condition worsened quickly, finally passing out somewhere random. It had scared him a little, to be lost and somewhat helpless.

"Its okay, I'm right here," Riku assured him, leaning down to be in Sora's direct line of vision. Zexion sat down on the windowsill and pulled Demyx down next to him. Demyx brought his hand up to his mouth to nervously bite at his nails, and Zexion grabbed his hands and held them still. Demyx settled for tapping his feet a little instead. Roxas leaned against the couch, averting his gaze a little. He couldn't help blaming himself for this. Roxas felt Axel's arm settle around his shoulders and pull him close comfortingly.

Sora's eyes closed for a moment, and reopened, trying to focus on Riku's face. Catching sight of the worried look in Riku's eyes, it scared him, yet comforted him a little at the same time. "I should tell you…I should...tell you…" he trailed off.

Riku leaned further over Sora, touching his face lightly. He should let Sora know he was coherent right now, with his memories and identity safe. "Actually, I should tell you-"

"I should tell you…" Sora interrupted him, clutching at his jacket, trying to pull him down closer so he could whisper and be heard. "I was never mad at you-"

"I know," Riku said, with a small smile. Despite how much of a jerk he'd been this whole time, Sora would never be angry with him. Sora was just like that. "I should tell you, I'm myself, I'm-"

"I know," Sora interrupted him again. Sora could tell already. He tried to reach up to Riku's face, but ended up only catching the ends of his hair in his fingers. He felt so weak, he could barely move. He wanted to tell Riku, while he was still breathing, that they were close. Really close. That he wanted them to be even closer. "I should tell you…." Sora managed, feeling congestion in his chest. "I should…tell you…I…love…" Sora turned his head to the side and started to cough. He gasped for breath, and Riku caught his hand, holding on tightly.

"What did you think you were doing? Wandering off and leaving me alone to worry. I need you and…" Sora caught his breath and turned back to Riku, reaching up for his face again. This time his fingers made it to Riku's jaw, tracing it, seemingly making sure it was there, and real. "Hold on for me, there's something you need to hear."

Roxas' eyes were fixed on Sora and Riku, still trying to suppress the guilt he felt inside. He looked down at the floor, blinking back the traces of tears that were threatening to appear. He caught sight of Demyx's hand in Zexion's lap, tangled in his fingers and covered by the other hand. Axel was rubbing his arm soothingly. Roxas covered his face with his hand. He had never wanted to go home so badly in his entire life.

Riku smiled at Sora again. "It was your eyes, that made me remember. I couldn't get them out of my head. I couldn't hide, and be someone else." Even now, though Sora's eyes were a little less bright, a little cloudy and scared. Sora closed his eyes again, drawing in small, shaky breaths. "Is it okay if I hold you closer?" Riku whispered. Sora managed to nod and Riku slid his arm under Sora a little, lifting him more into his arms. Sora's hand trailed from Riku's face, grasping onto his shirt collar. "I should have said something…a lot sooner…Sora."

Sora's head started to drop a little. Riku pushed the hair out of his face. Was he going to pass out? Or…worse? "Look at me, Sora. Look at my eyes," Riku asked, stroking his cheek carefully. Sora forced his eyes open. "I should tell you…I have always loved you."

Sora opened his mouth for a moment, but his hand fell from Riku's shirt, hanging out over the side of the table. His head lolled to the side and he closed his eyes, unmoving.

"Sora?" Riku said, picking him up all the way into his arms. He was heavier than when they had carried him inside. Riku could feel Sora's breath on his neck as Sora's head fell into it, but only barely. After a second, Sora fell out of his arms, and Riku pressed his nose to Sora's cheek lightly before lowering his body back onto the table. He touched his forehead, it was cooler now. Was that good or bad? Riku simply stared at Sora's blank face.

Roxas' mouth gaped. "Sora?!" he asked, attempting to bolt forward to get to his brother. Did he pass out? Did he fall asleep? Did he-? No, there was no way. Axel grabbed hold of Roxas and spun him around, pulling him close. Roxas buried his face in Axel's shirt, clinging to him tightly. He sniffled hugely, but he wouldn't cry. It wasn't over, Sora was okay, he wouldn't cry. Demyx's quiet sniffles echoed in his ears.

Riku was thinking he should say something, do something, anything, when he caught sight of Sora's fingers twitching just a little. "Sora…" Riku said, as Sora's whole body shifted and he coughed a bit. Everyone turned their attention to the table as Sora sat up of his own accord. "Ugh…" he muttered.

Axel let go of Roxas, who was at the tableside in a split second. Axel followed close behind, and Zexion trailed Demyx until they were all surrounding the table. "Sora, I'm sorry, this is all my fault I-"

Sora leaned over and hugged Roxas tightly, patting his hair a little. "I'm sorry I took your pillow," he said.

"What?" Roxas asked. What did that have to do with anything?

"I promise I'll wash it before I give it back. Or I promise I'll take care of you if you get sick," Sora said, smiling lightly at Roxas. Roxas' face turned red, tears welling up again. He pressed his forehead against Sora's briefly. "You're stupid," he told him, with a small laugh.

Sora laughed and pushed Roxas' shoulder playfully. Roxas leaned back against Axel, who wrapped his arms around him loosely. Sora looked to Riku, who immediately scooped him up in his arms. "I agree with him. Don't ever scare me like that again," Riku demanded, burying his face in the crook of Sora's neck. "You're drenched," he muttered.

Zexion offered a clean handkerchief. "His fever's breaking," he informed them. Riku dabbed at Sora's forehead and face, cleaning the sweat that had gathered there.

Roxas caught sight of the projector. He untangled himself from Axel's arms and wandered over to it, curious as to what this movie was that he had supposedly finished. He flipped the projector on, and it started playing their broken memories. Everyone's memories of each other flashed across the screen. Roxas last remembered seeing everyone's smiling faces before he dozed off on Axel's shoulder as they sat together on the floor.

* * *

Look forward to Zexion in chapter twelve: "Friends: The Final Season!" 


	12. Friends: The Final Season

"ROXAS!"

Roxas was snapped awake by his name being shouted urgently. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground. At his side, he saw some hands grasping the edge of…what? Roxas scrambled onto his knees. He quickly discovered he wasn't on the ground, but a rock ledge. One that Axel was currently dangling over. Roxas grabbed at him and helped drag him onto the ledge. Once he was safe, Roxas leaned against the rock wall behind them and took a deep breath.

He immediately wished he hadn't. "Oh my GOD!" He exclaimed, covering his mouth, resisting the urge to throw up. He dared to look over the edge. The wet, muddy surface below bubbled and squelched. The dark greenish sludge made the worst and most inappropriate noises he could think of. "What IS it?" he asked, voice muffled by his hand.

"The bog of eternal stench," Axel replied, his face twisted in disgust. He helped Roxas to his feet and they started to inch along the ledge.

"I've never smelt anything like it," Roxas replied, trying to take in short breaths. The air even burned coming in his mouth. "Its like…its like…" he tried to put it into words. It was just so bad, there were no words.

"Its like that time you left a pair of socks in your gym locker for the entire semester," Axel said. Roxas glared at him. He'd just forgotten about them! And then he'd been too afraid to touch them! Axel just shook his head. "It doesn't matter what its like, it's the bog of eternal stench."

Axel's foot hit a soft spot and the ledge collapsed a bit beneath him. "Help!" he informed Roxas. Before he fell down into the disgusting pit of slime, preferably.

"Hold on!" Roxas replied, grabbing Axel's arm to steady his balance. Axel's long legs were efficient for jumping the gap, and Roxas took a running leap, feet scrambling against the crumbling remains. Axel held onto him until he was sure the footing was steady.

"What'd you have to go and do a thing like that for?" Axel asked, with an exasperated half-smile.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "What, rescue you?" he asked, turning them around so he was in the lead. They started along the ledge again.

"No, you kissed me," Axel replied, not looking at Roxas.

Roxas turned a fetching shade of red. "Don't be so sour, you liked it," he muttered, feeling a little brave.

Axel chuckled. "Yeah," he admitted. Roxas turned redder. He opened his mouth to say something when the ledge cracked beneath him and he tumbled down. Roxas reached out and caught Axel's arm, taking him down, too. Luckily, they landed on a safe patch of ground. A patch that Demyx had apparently been occupying.

"OW! Could you all watch where you're falling?!" He asked, pulling his legs out from under the pile of Roxas and Axel.

"Sorry," Axel mumbled, getting to his feet and helping Roxas up as well.

"IT SMELLS!" Demyx shouted suddenly. He covered his face.

"What're you doing here?" Axel asked suspiciously. The smell even stung his eyes and they started to water a little.

"He was with me earlier," Roxas explained, again from behind his hand.

"Oh," Axel replied. Well, he couldn't complain. It was better to keep his friends close in this nonsense place. Demyx in particular probably needed protecting.

"Hey," Roxas said, squinting through the slime covered bog trees. "There's a bridge." He tugged on Axel's arm, stepping around a particularly squelchy area. "Let's go."

Roxas tried not to look down as he tiptoed carefully around the questionable areas. "Watch it," Axel warned. "Set one foot in this stuff and you'll stink forever." Roxas held his breath as they crept about, partially from being anxious, partially from the terrible smell.

The three hurried towards the bridge, excited to be away from the foul stench, when Zexion appeared from seemingly nowhere, barring their retreat from the bog.

"ZEXION!" Demyx shouted exuberantly. He threw his arms around Zexion and lifted him off the ground a little. "Merry Christmas! No wait…" Oops. That was the last story. Demyx had a hard time keeping all this voodoo sorcery mumbo jumbo straight in his head.

Roxas attempted to pass him to continue crossing the bridge, but Zexion moved in front of him. "Stop," he said flatly.

"But we have to get across," Roxas replied. "Want to come with us?"

"Without my permission, no one may cross," Zexion informed them. He didn't budge from his position.

"My name is Axel, my quest is to go home, and my favorite color is red. Can I cross now?" Axel asked cheekily.

"No," Zexion replied, not amused by his popular British comedy reference.

"We're kind of in a hurry," Roxas reminded him.

"Yeah, and we want to get out of this stench," Axel added.

Demyx held his stomach. "It smells SO BAD!"

Zexion raised his eyebrows only a little. "Stench? What are you talking about?"

Roxas' mouth dropped open. Zexion was joking, right? This was the kid who said stuff like _'I knew you were there, I smelt you coming down the hall.'_ His friends learned not to take it as an insult after a while. "The smell?" Roxas offered, pointing to the farting, bubbling mess of puke green mud.

Zexion sniffed delicately. "I smell nothing," he concluded. "And I live by my sense of smell. If anything, the air is mildly sweet and fragrant," he decided. "And none shall pass without my permission," he reminded them.

Demyx looked at Zexion, his eyes watery. "But it smells so BAD, Zexion! Is your nose broken? Does this mean you think things that smell GOOD…smell bad?" Demyx gasped, taking Zexion's hand. "Do you hate my cologne?!"

Zexion gave Demyx and exasperated look. "Everything smells unique. Even you. It doesn't smell bad at all but, there is no reason to wear it when you already have a pleasing scent." He never understood why people wore body fragrances. A lot of people's personal scents were the most enjoyable.

Axel approached Zexion. "So, are you moving out of the way?"

"I'm sworn to my duty. This is my part in this story," Zexion said, shrugging.

"You're being stubborn, let us cross!" Roxas folded his arms, annoyed.

Axel attempted to walk past him, and Zexion moved in front of him. He tried again, and Zexion gave him a small shove backwards. "Don't make me hurt you," he warned. Axel pretty much laughed at him. He was way taller and probably stronger than Zexion as well.

Demyx took Zexion by the shoulders. "Why are you being like this? You know that getting to the castle is what matters!" Axel took this opportunity to saunter across the bridge.

"Axel! What are you doing?" Roxas called after him, staying put. He wasn't sure if he should follow after Axel, or not. Axel disappeared into the trees on the other side. Roxas bit his lip and looked back at Demyx and Zexion, conflicted.

"Let go," Zexion instructed Demyx. Demyx frowned and slowly released Zexion. "Please don't tell me I have to fight you or something," Demyx asked worriedly.

Zexion held out his hand to Demyx in a fist. Demyx looked from his hand to his face. The international sign for Rock-Paper-Scissors? "You're kidding, right?"

Zexion shook his head. Demyx planted his feet and held out his fist. "You're on!" He took a deep breath. "ROCK…PAPER…SCISSORS!"

Demyx picked scissors. Why? Because Zexion would pick paper. He was Zexion, he just would.

Zexion did.

"I win I win I win!" Demyx exclaimed jumping around in an excited circle.

"Hm. Never have I met my match in battle. Yet you fought me to a standstill," Zexion said.

Roxas rolled his eyes. They were both idiots. "Are you guys okay in the head?" he asked, just in case.

"I yield to you, Demyx. And we'll be brothers henceforth, and we'll fight for the right as one," Zexion informed Demyx's confused face. Zexion made a disgusted face back. "That was a tasteless bit of dialogue," he mumbled. He obviously didn't enjoy the lines he'd been given in this story.

"But I don't wanna be your brother," Demyx pointed out.

"What?" Zexion asked, actually showing some confusion. What was that supposed to mean?

Demyx turned away a little and attempted not to feel flustered. Sure, he was taller and bigger than Zexion but, Zexion intimidated him. "I uh…well. Brothers can't…you know."

"No," Zexion replied. "I don't." He was unfathomably smart, yes. He had only a small amount of social skills, though. He tried his best to make it clear he was interested in what Demyx was getting at.

Demyx poked his index fingers together. Roxas tapped his foot impatiently. "Stop stalling," he demanded. "Come on." He made to pass Zexion, who blocked his way.

"I can't let you pass. There's a sacred vow, or something," Zexion explained.

"But Demyx beat you! What was the point of that then?" Roxas asked incredulously. All the stupid pointless stuff they wasted time doing for no reason!

"I'm supposed to defend my oath to the death." One could tell that Zexion wasn't exactly thrilled about this idea.

"Let's think about this logically. What exactly is your oath?" Roxas asked. There was a loophole to everything in the Labyrinth. There's no reason this should be the exception.

"Supposedly I swore with my lifeblood that no one shall pass without my permission."

"Than can we have your permission?"

"…Yes?"

Roxas rolled his eyes again. "That was somehow even stupider than usual," he commented, walking past Zexion to the beginning of the bridge. It was a rickety plank that stretched across the expanse of filth. Roxas wondered how Axel got across it without absolutely dying.

"It's not frightening. That thing's lasted at least a thousand years," Zexion encouraged Roxas. Roxas didn't find it very encouraging. Especially after he took a few steps and it caved in under his feet. Roxas grabbed at the branches hanging above him, as the old plank crashed into the muck. He hung there over the bile, really grateful he wasn't too heavy.

"It seemed sturdy enough," Zexion furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't panicking at all.

"Aren't you gonna help him?! What do we do?!" Demyx asked, gripping Zexion's shoulder.

"You make the rocks come up out of the bog," Zexion told him. Demyx gave him a funny look.

"What? How the hell do I do that?" Demyx asked.

"I don't know. I seem to remember that you yell. You've never read this story?" Zexion had only read Labyrinth once but, he always retained everything he read.

"Um…" Demyx said.

"A LITTLE FASTER, THANKS!" Roxas yelled, feeling his fingers slipping off the wet branch.

Demyx looked around awkwardly for a second before yelling at the top of his lungs, "SMELLS LIKE CRAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!"

The bog groaned underneath Roxas, and a giant boulder rose from the depths. The sludge sloughed off of it slowly. Once it stopped rising, Roxas dropped onto it, regaining his balance precariously. The three watched as a path of boulders rose up from the bog to guide them across.

"That's random and disgusting," Axel commented, from the other side. Roxas hopped quickly across the rocks and landed on the other side, hugging Axel fiercely.

Zexion gestured for Demyx to go next across the stepping stones, and he tilted his head to look at him curiously when he hesitated to do so. "I meant…brothers are like Roxas and Sora. I'd rather be like…Sora and Riku," Demyx said quietly.

Zexion raised an eyebrow. A smile threatened to tug at the corner of his mouth. "Sora and Riku are a little, involved. Don't you think?" Zexion pointed out. After all, they had sort of confessed that they loved each other just recently.

"Oh," Demyx said, turning red. "Well I guess…I guess that's true." He started across the raised path.

"How about more like, Axel and Roxas?" Zexion suggested. Demyx almost fell off the stone he was on and Zexion caught his arm. Demyx looked at Axel and Roxas standing on the shore. Roxas had a hold of Axel's arm, as he was telling him about what had just happened. Axel nodded, gently pushing Roxas' hair out of his face while he listened.

"Yes!" Demyx told Zexion, wanting to stand closer to him, but they were standing a rock apart over a deadly stinky bog.

"Would you guys hurry up?!" Axel called, waving to them. Demyx quickly scrambled across the rest of the rocks, and Zexion followed closely.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Roxas said, letting Zexion and Demyx go ahead. "C'mon, we'll reach the castle soon!" Demyx exclaimed. Finally, Roxas was with a bunch of people who knew where they were going. He could relax a little bit.

Riku came and sat down next to Sora, huddled in his throne chair. Sora was looking into one of Riku's weird crystals, watching Roxas and the others. Riku handed him a cup of something hot and steaming.

"What is it?" Sora asked, taking it from him. He sniffed it. It smelled iffy.

"I dunno," Riku replied. "It tastes okay, though. Not poisonous anyway," he rubbed Sora's back a little. "Feeling any better?"

Sora sighed, handing Riku the crystal so he could hold onto the cup with both hands. It was nice and warm at least. "Maybe a little. I'd like to be back home in my bed, though."

Riku chuckled. He'd like to be in Sora's bed, too. But not the point. "Anything exciting happen?" he asked, looking into the crystal. It looked like they had picked up Zexion, at least.

"Roxas kissed Axel," Sora muttered over the top of the cup.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Lucky bastard. I'm jealous." No wonder they ended up in the bog.

"Why, you want Roxas to kiss you, too?" Sora joked.

"Ew," Riku replied, giving Sora a little shove. "You know what I mean."

"I don't want to get you sick," Sora said firmly, taking a sip from the cup. It was bitter.

"It'd be worth it," Riku replied, leaning close to him, a smirk on his lips.

"No," Sora replied, putting his hand on Riku's face and pushing him away. Riku bit at Sora's palm moodily, before turning back to the crystal. Sora definitely owed him.

There was an explosive rumble and everyone stopped for a second.

"It was my stomach," Zexion informed them. He should have taken advantage of that engagement banquet he saw back in Oz.

"Hungry," Demyx whined.

Roxas rubbed his stomach, too. "Yeah," he said. He'd been too high stressed to think about eating. "Well, we can't stop. Maybe we can find some berries or something."

Demyx loved that idea. He immediately began searching the bushes, hoping to find the biggest, juiciest blackberry known to man. Zexion kept a close eye on him, skeptical that they could find anything in the Labyrinth that wouldn't poison them.

Axel searched his pockets for a granola bar or anything, and came up with a stick of gum and a peach. Peach? He didn't remember having that. "Hey Roxas, here," he said, holding it out to him. He was pretty starving too but, he'd seen Roxas' eating habits. The kid probably needed food more than he did.

"Dude, Axel. You're so awesome," Roxas replied, taking it from him. He rubbed the fuzz off of it before taking a big bite. It was juicy, and squelched like a peach, but the taste seemed off. Roxas looked down at it. It looked fine.

"This tastes strange," Roxas muttered, looking up at Axel. His vision was going weird, there were two of him. He started to sway on his feet a little. Where was he, again? "Axel…what did you do…?"

"What did I…OH SHIT!" NOW he remembered where he'd gotten that stupid peach. "Damnit, Riku!" He couldn't believe he'd actually fed it to Roxas. Ugh, stupid! "Damnit!" he repeated, catching Roxas as he collapsed.

* * *

Find out if Roxas' dreams come true in the next chapter: "Happily Ever After!" 


	13. Happily Ever After

Roxas woke to a neighing sound and a jostle of his resting place. He opened his eyes and they caught the light from the oil lamp burning dimly inside the posh carriage he inhabited. He sat up from the cushy red velvet pillow and rubbed his eye. Brain damage, seriously. He could feel it coming on swiftly.

Roxas grabbed the golden handle and unlatched the padded door of the carriage, blinking against the darkness outside. A gloved hand presented itself to help him out of his transport. Roxas took it hesitantly, feeling the gesture was a little girly. He carefully stepped out of the old fashioned carriage. "Thanks," he said to the man who had helped him.

Roxas stared up at the steps in front of him. With at least three tiers, and covered in red velvet, they elevated the entrance to a spectacular castle. Roxas stared up at it, mouth probably hanging open slightly. He heard the clodding of hooves behind him and turned around to see his carriage leaving. Roxas sighed. He was going to ask where it was exactly they were, but too late.

Roxas started up the steps slowly, feeling as if he was dirtying them by stepping on them. Then again, his shoes looked really clean and shiny. They were jet black, and disappeared into his perfectly pressed, bright white pants. Roxas stopped on the landing of the second tier to inspect the rest of his outfit. His crisp white dress shirt was tucked neatly beneath his vest and cummerbund, buttoned all the way to the neck and topped off with a black bowtie. The matching jacket and gloves finished off the outfit. Roxas took a deep breath, feeling slightly uncomfortable in such seemingly nice and expensive clothes.

Roxas padded up the rest of the stairs swiftly, eager to see what awaited him inside the castle. He began to pass people in the long entrance hall, young girls dressed in elaborate dresses, all their color schemes dull and uninteresting. Any men he saw were dressed in stark black tuxes. Roxas felt like he stood out. Way out. He continued on towards where he heard gentle music floating from, taking in the suits of armor and tapestries he passed. There was a larger multitude of people, and he felt himself being stopped by a crowd that had their attention on something in particular.

Roxas cursed his shortness, as it was way too hard to be seen over the people. He heard two girls whispering next to him and wasted no time in eavesdropping on them.

"He's so handsome!" One of them cooed quietly. "What if he chooses me to dance with?"

The other girl giggled. "What if he chooses me? Imagine, dancing with the Prince!"

Prince? Roxas rolled his eyes. Not another fairytale. He didn't know if he could handle it, or wanted to. Roxas pointlessly wandered off to look at other things. It was a castle, how could there not be cool things to see?

The ballroom they were in was pretty huge, so Roxas just broke off from the crowd and whatever they were gathered around, to explore. Music was playing, but everyone seemed either too distracted, or too afraid to dance. A tapestry hanging along the far wall attracted his attention, and he went to stare at it. After a second, he realized he was standing too close and backed off a little. Roxas covered his mouth with a gloved hand to prevent himself from laughing too loudly. The bright red stitching of the hair and electric green of the eyes? Roxas never wanted to see a tapestry of Axel ever again. His side had started to hurt from suppressed laughter.

A hand landed on Roxas' shoulder and he jumped a little. "What do you find amusing?" Came a smooth, quizzical voice from behind him. Roxas turned around and chuckled a little, appreciating Axel in formal wear. Actually, it was a little more than formal wear, as he was decorated with shiny trim and a few draping golden ropes. The picture of prince charming, without the dull dark hair.

"Nothing," Roxas responded. "I'm guessing, your majesty?" How incredibly cheesy.

"You guessed correctly. Dance with me?" Axel asked. Roxas peeked over his shoulder to see the crowd had broken into a sea of gently swaying bodies, flowing to the rhythm of the waltz. He found the subdued colors made him slightly on edge. "Dance? I'll stand out like a sore thumb out there," Roxas pointed out.

Axel took his hand anyway, leading him to the middle of the floor. The drab sea parted for them. "With me you'll stand out regardless," Axel pointed out. Roxas noticed all the women and men throw jealous, suspicious glances at him, trying their best to scold him while not being seen by their partner or Axel. Roxas didn't find it comforting.

Axel tucked his hand underneath Roxas' shoulder blade and held his elbow stiffly in the waltz position. Roxas had very little time to adjust to the female's stance before he was testing his footwork across the ballroom floor. They swept through the masses like a giant broom, never in danger of colliding with another couple, never in danger of straying from each other, their hands tightly locked. Roxas only briefly considered that he'd only ever waltzed once in his life, in gym class. Finding it too burdensome to deeply ponder how in the world he was following Axel so easily, he decided to forget about the matter.

Once he had finally stopped focusing on the subtle glances of the other attendees, Roxas concentrated on Axel's face. His eyes seemed a little darker than usual, and Roxas thought he could owe it to the light. He never even noticed the change in scenery when it happened, or the loss of sound from their shoes as Axel led him across the carpeted hallway and out into the dark stone halls of the castle. There was a single moment he realized the fading of the music, and stopped in response. His ears filled with the bubbling and flowing of a fountain, and he felt the breeze tickle his cheeks and threaten his hair.

"You stopped," Axel said, breaking their stance to turn away from Roxas. He began pulling him in an unknown direction, Roxas following wordlessly. They passed under an arch woven with ivy and dotted with sweet smelling flowers, and Roxas felt the newly watered grass squish under his feet as he was led off the path and across the garden. They rejoined the path that led them to a bridge, really not more than a small stretch of wood arched across a small pond embellished with small flowers. Everything in the vicinity seemed rather tiny, which probably made it cuter and more appealing, he supposed. It felt extremely familiar to him in some way or another.

Axel pulled Roxas close to him on the bridge. It felt like a 'just you, me, and the moonlight,' type of moment. Axel smirked slightly. "I think I kind of like being a prince," he said.

Roxas chuckled. "Let me guess, this makes me Cinderella?" At least he wasn't in a poofy dress. He would have had to kill Riku thoroughly. "You look good as a Prince," Roxas pointed out.

Axel laughed and removed Roxas' hair from his eyes, tracing the curves of his face with his fingers. "And you look good in my arms. How about we skip the glass slipper bit and go straight to the happily ever after?"

Roxas felt a blush creep up his neck and threaten his cheeks. Happily ever after did sound great. He had no prior engagements that he could remember.

"Do you like my castle?" Axel asked. His hand moved lightly across Roxas' shoulder, down his arm, and caught his hand.

"Yeah," Roxas said quietly, not really able to take his eyes off Axel. "Its really cool." He felt like a freaking teenage girl who was having a romantic moment with some Rockstar she idolized. Which was kind of pathetic, he knew, but he couldn't really help himself.

"You can stay here, if you want. There are maids and servants. Huge gardens, and fields to kick a ball or throw a Frisbee. There's a pool, tennis courts, I own the woods just beyond the gardens for miles. You'd never have to go to school again," he brought Roxas' hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on each knuckle. "Or get your hands dirty, if you didn't want to. You can have your own room or, you can share mine." Axel tilted Roxas' chin up slightly and leaned down closer to him.

Roxas scarcely dared to breathe. Everything Axel said sounded so wonderful. Just himself, and Axel, and a ginormous castle. "It sounds really…really…" Roxas couldn't find the words to say aloud. He could feel Axel's breath on his lips, and his eyes involuntarily slid shut.

"All you have to do, is leave everyone else behind, and stay with me," Axel whispered.

Roxas considered it. He didn't think he had anywhere else to be, anything else to do. However, one thing made him hesitate. "Every…one?" he asked, opening his eyes and pulling back a little. He blinked a few times, and finally noticed something amiss in Axel's eyes. They didn't shine in the moonlight, they had no depth at all. Not like he remembered.

"Everyone?" Roxas repeated, pushing away from Axel, and trying to shake the hazy romantic mood from his head. Was there someone he was leaving behind for this? Roxas couldn't think of anyone. He looked at the small bridge they were on. Just like the one at home. Where was that? Roxas looked up at prince charming. He almost laughed to himself. Axel wasn't prince charming, and Roxas had almost agreed to a fairytale ending with him. That's all that it would have been; a pseudo existence, a fake overdressed life. He didn't want it.

Prince charming started towards him. "What's wrong?" he asked, soothingly.

Roxas backed up and shook his head. "I should have known better. That at midnight it all falls apart." Just then he heard church bells chime nearby. They began to sound twelve bells for midnight, and Roxas felt the world disintegrate around him. The fantasy colors ran like wet paint, and the moon went out.

* * *

Roxas came to in a pile of garbage. Well, it wasn't exactly garbage, just a lot of useless stuff. He moaned a little, rubbing his head. He put his hand to his face and felt the lingering blush. Roxas sighed. It had sounded so nice.

Roxas looked around at the heaps upon heaps of random stuff. "What was I doing?" he asked himself aloud. He felt the pile underneath him shift violently. "Get off my back!" it cried, and Roxas rolled off of it onto another pile.

The pile turned around to reveal a small, old, leathery skinned woman with a suspicious eye underneath it. As she moved, so did the pile. It appeared to be stuck all to her back. "Why don't you look out where you're going, young man?" the old woman warned.

"I was looking," Roxas insisted.

She turned her inquiring eye on him. "Where ARE you going?"

Roxas looked about and scratched his head. "Um…I don't remember," Roxas admitted. Where was it again?

The old woman huffed. "Well you can't look where you're going if you don't know where you're going," she pointed out grumpily.

"I was uh…searching for something," Roxas told her. What was it? The everyone or…the something.

"Well, look here!" the old woman announced, holding out a pillow to Roxas. The pillowcase was dark blue with white stars all over it. "Pillow?" Roxas asked. Yeah, this was his pillow alright. "Thanks," he said a little awkwardly, taking it from her.

She chuckled and started to hobble off across the piles. "That's what you were looking for, wasn't it my dear?"

"Yeah…" Roxas replied, sort of following her aimlessly. "I forgot."

"Now, why don't you come in here," the woman offered, opening a door in one of the heaps. "See if there's anything else you like, hmm?"

Roxas nodded and wandered in through the door. It shut behind him and he didn't notice, eyes fixed on the interior of the room. It was his room. Roxas sat down on the bed, looking around. He held his pillow out in front of him. "So…this was all just a dream?" he muttered aloud. "I dreamed it all? But…it was so real."

Roxas got up to see if he his Dad had gotten home yet, and the door burst open. The old woman walked in, cackling quietly. "Best stay in here my dear. Nothing you want out there!" she assured him. Roxas sat down at his desk cautiously as the woman lumbered about his room.

"What have we got here? Your Mister Wuzzle Pants! Oh, you like him," she said, handing a sandy colored teddy bear to Roxas. Roxas hadn't recalled seeing it in a long time. "Oh, and here's two fair tickets, yes, yes, yes." She handed those to him as well. The woman began to pile things into his arms, and once his arms were full, she began to stick them onto the back of the chair somehow. Roxas stared blankly at all the things in his arms. It didn't feel like this was it. The everyone that Prince Axel was trying to get him to leave behind.

"I was looking for something," Roxas muttered. The woman patted his shoulder. "Don't talk nonsense," she told him. "Everything you ever needed is right here."

Roxas spotted a tattered looking book on his desk. Curiously, he picked it up and flipped through the pages. He didn't remember much of it, whatever it was. A few lines caught his eye. _'Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city.'_

Roxas put the book down suddenly. Duh! Now he remembered where he was going! He looked about him at the stuff accumulating upon his back. "This is all junk," he said, starting to drop things on the floor from his arms.

"What about this? This isn't junk," the woman insisted, holding out a blue orb that fit into the palm of your hand and shone brightly when held up to the sunlight.

Roxas ignored her. "Yes it is! And I'm supposed to save Sora!" He was so selfish, he'd forgotten all about his friends that were counting on him to get them home.

Unexpectedly, the walls of his room began to crumble, and Roxas jumped from his seat, pushing all his supposed prized belongings onto the deteriorating floor. He sought the first opening in the wall to climb out onto the top of the junk mountain. Two hands helped pull him out to the surface.

"Roxas! You're back!" Demyx exclaimed, brushing some dirt off of his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Zexion asked. Roxas nodded. "We're almost there, look. The gates to the goblin city," he pointed down something that resembled a path between the piles at the gate in the outer wall. Roxas nodded. "Where's Axel?"

Zexion looked at Demyx. "Um…I dunno," Demyx supplied. "When you disappeared, he did, too."

Roxas took a deep breath. Axel probably felt bad for accidentally letting Roxas eat that peach. He wasn't mad at him, he just hoped he showed up soon so he could let him know. They were finally almost there. "Lets hurry up!" Roxas said, darting ahead down the path to the gate. No more of these side trips, no more of this trickery. They'd be home soon. All of them.

* * *

A little trouble for our heroes in the next chapter: "One Short Day in the Goblin City!" 


	14. One Short Day in the Goblin City

Demyx, Roxas, and Zexion approached the first gate into the Goblin city that they saw. It was just one door, guarded by one goblin who happened to be asleep. Roxas was all for the sneaking quietly past, and he got ready for it as Zexion approached the guard unexpectedly.

"Open the door," he told the guard.

"Zexion! We're supposed to be sneaky and quiet!" Roxas protested in a hushed voice. He surveyed the guard's face and he showed no signs of waking.

"Open up right now," Zexion further demanded. Roxas took his arm and tried to pull him away from the stirring guard.

"You'll wake the guard, quiet!" Roxas hissed, trying to pull Zexion away before they were noticed.

"Then let them wake up!" Zexion insisted, not understanding what the big deal was. "I feel the need to fight him to the death." Hey, a boy needed to be adventurous once in a while. This absurd story gave him the chance to do so.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Just be quiet, for my sake," he requested with a nod, indicating that Zexion should agree.

"Doesn't this make us cowards?" Zexion asked, as the three hid behind a pile of junk, inching forward when the guard had fallen back asleep.

"No," Roxas replied in hushed tones, trying the door. Yes! It was unlocked. Some defense system this city had.

"Then I'll fight anyone, anywhere, anyplace, and anytime," Zexion decided, a little too loudly. The guard groaned and began to mutter to himself.

Roxas pushed Zexion through the door. "We know." Demyx followed after, chuckling a little. Zexion looked at him and frowned. "I don't see why we have to be so quiet, it's only a goblin city."

Roxas shut the door behind them and gazed around. They weren't exactly inside the city, there was another huge gate ahead of them. Before Roxas could say he had a bad feeling about it, the gate began to close. Roxas caught a hold of Demyx's arm and pulled him back, out of the way of the rapidly closing door.

"Oh no," Roxas said, as the three of them backed up, watching what had seemed like two separate halves of the gate join into one humungous, robot like enemy. With a twisting of metal and a scraping noise, it stepped out of the closed gate. "WHO GOES?" it bellowed, steam rising from the bowels of its body. It repeated itself as much as it felt necessary, raising a giant axe above its head to execute its attack.

"Woah!" Zexion warned, as metal spikes unexpectedly sprung up at their backs, closing them in with the giant robot. It took a swing in Demyx's direction, who ducked. Roxas and Zexion split apart, avoiding a vertical slice. Roxas was actually mildly surprised at how slow the machine was, generally pretty easy to avoid.

Yet, they needed to get it out of their way if they were going to proceed. "Any brilliant ideas?" Roxas yelled, squishing himself against the wall to avoid a wide sweep of the axe. He looked at Zexion specifically, who was ducking behind a dislodged boulder. He shrugged. Nothing was particularly coming to mind.

Roxas was running out of places to dodge to, when a thank goodness appeared out of nowhere. Before Roxas knew it, he caught sight of Axel, hand and footing it up the side of the monstrosity. "Axel!" Roxas called. What was he doing?!

"I got it!" Axel called, putting one foot on either side of the cockpit. The small goblin seated inside looked up at him. "Uh…oh." It said. Axel smirked. "Hi. Now get out," he picked the thing up by the back of his shirt and tossed him out of the cockpit.

"Okay so…how do you work this thing?" Axel asked. He put one foot inside the tiny cockpit, but that was about all he could get inside. "Drop the AXE!" Demyx yelled from the ground, waving wildly. The huge robot swung at him in response. "Uh…uh…" Axel asked, pulling on one of the leavers. The thing spit steam, and lifted its axe. "Wrong button…" Axel muttered. The metal groaned as the axe got stuck in the overhead of the gate. Axel grabbed two leavers and pulled on them, retracting his hand as the machine spit sparks, struggling to move while stuck.

"Axel! Get out of there!" Roxas called, worried that the thing would explode with Axel inside it. Axel brought his hand away quickly as the controls burst into flames, starting down the side of it. He hopped off just as it internally blew, wrenching a little before falling silent.

Axel sighed from his spot on the ground. Roxas practically tackled him from behind. "Are you alright?"

Axel didn't look at him. "Look Roxas I didn't mean to-"

"I forgive you," Roxas replied, hugging him tightly, before helping him off the ground.

"You do?" Axel asked, relieved.

Demyx gave Axel a small push. "You were cool just then." It must have been his way of saying 'thanks for saving us from the giant evil robot thing.'

"Oh, thanks. Since I've never been cool before now," Axel teased. He looked up at the immobile robot guard and at the closed gate. "C'mon guys. Let's get in there so I can kick Riku's ass."

Roxas laughed as they all pushed as hard as they could to get the gate open. "I'm sure you want to, but Sora would kill me if I let you."

Axel pouted about as much as Axel could manage. "Oh come on, not even a little ass kicking? A small punt in the behind? It's not like I'm gonna push him in front of a careening bus."

"No," Roxas replied. "Have you seen Sora cranky? It's like me in the morning times ten."

"It's scary," Demyx added, as they set foot inside the city. Well, it was just a goblin city. How bad could it really be?

* * *

Riku and Sora were playing rock-paper-scissors to pass the time. They really were incredibly bored, and watching Roxas and the others walk around aimlessly got monotonous after a while.

"I win again," Sora said, covering Riku's fisted hand with his own. Riku frowned. He could use that fist to win in a fight, but in rock paper scissors? Impossible.

Just as Riku was about to suggest they do something different, one of the goblins in full armor came clambering through the throne room. "You Highness!" it called out, tripping over its oversized garments. "Your Highness!" The goblin skidded to a stop in front of Riku and attempted to salute. "Your Highness! The boy!"

Riku raised an eyebrow. He looked at Sora, who simply shrugged. Which boy was this thing talking about? There were a lot of boys around here.

"The boy! The boy who ate the peach and forgot everything!" The goblin reminded Riku.

"Ate the what?" Sora asked, looking at Riku.

Riku put his hand to his face. He had forgotten everything about the peach. Stupid Axel, he'd actually given it to Roxas. "The peach, I gave Axel this peach…nevermind. Look, what about that boy?" Riku turned his attention back to the goblin.

"He, and the mullet head, Sir Zexion and Axel are on the way to the castle!" The goblin relayed frantically, as his helmet slid down over his eyes.

"Hooray!" Sora exclaimed. Roxas was almost there! He looked at Riku, who was avoiding his eyes and looking over serious about the situation.

"Call out the guard and try to stop them," Riku ordered.

"What?!" Sora asked, taking hold of Riku's arm. "What for? The faster they get here the faster we can go home." There really was no reason to delay them any further.

"GUARDS!" The goblin started screaming, and the multitude of goblins that had been lounging around scrambled to their feet in a hurried manner, pulling together their discarded armor and weapons in a clumsy frenzy.

"Sure Sora, but have you ever read a story where the bad guy just gives up?" Riku pointed out.

"Well, no…" Sora replied.

"So, if we have to finish this story to get home, what will happen if we change the story? It's too much to risk," Riku explained.

Sora drew his knees up to his chest in something of a pout. He didn't like the idea of purposefully attacking all his friends and brother, but he also knew that Riku was probably right about the situation.

"Sorry, Sora," Riku said, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "But you know Roxas, he's stubborn." Sora nodded, and Riku stood, extending his hand.

"C'mon, we've got to leave here. We can't make it so convenient for him to find us."

* * *

The city they were in was rather empty, which Roxas found highly suspicious. Once in a while, Roxas thought he heard a door or a window shutter closing as they approached, but they saw no one. The group continued towards the castle cautiously. "I think we're going to make it," Roxas said. As soon as they found the door. Axel nodded. "Piece of cake."

The group rounded the corner into a large clearing and heard the clanking footsteps of goblins. "Company, HALT!" someone shouted, and Roxas whirled around to see a cavalry of goblins blocking one of their exits. They all drew swords rather menacingly.

Axel turned towards another escape route and found the rest of the mounted soldiers blocking the way. "Lancers, ready!" The captain called as the goblins raised their weapons.

"Uh, guys…" Demyx said nervously, watching goblins load cannons at the third barricaded exit.

"Cannons FIRE!" "CHARGE CHARGE CHARGE!"

"RUN!" Roxas instructed, and they dashed for the last open pathway, letting the goblins decimate the empty clearing.

"Why don't we fight them?" Zexion suggested, as all hell broke loose in the town, goblins dashing this way and that. Roxas led them behind a house for a moment. "Are you crazy?!"

"This way," Axel instructed, leading them along the top of a stone wall towards somewhere that looked less like a battlefield and more safe.

"But the battle is back that way!" Zexion said, hopping off the wall with the rest of them, a squad of mounted goblins close behind them. He was never going to get to have his adventure, was he? Zexion stopped in his tracks, allowing Demyx, Axel, and Roxas to go on ahead.

"Right, what was I thinking?" Zexion scolded himself as the goblins formed a circle around him, pointed their javelins towards the middle.

"Where's Zexion?" Roxas asked, stopping to see if he was just following slowly. "Zexion?!" Emo bangs was nowhere in sight.

"FIRE!" A voice yelled nearby, and a spiked cannonball came shooting out of a nearby cannon. Axel ducked at the last second, and the ball lodged itself in the side of a house. "Did I hit something? No?" It muttered to itself.

"We've got to find Zexion!" Demyx insisted, looking rather worried.

Zexion didn't take up a defensive stance, he simply stood there surveying the situation. He could smell the unease coming from the soldiers. Zexion wasn't exactly a giant but compared to a goblin, he was still pretty big. "I'm eight times bigger than you and you're pointing sticks at me," Zexion reminded them, reaching out and taking one of their sticks away. He hit the goblin he had taken it from on the head, and pushed aside the stick of the goblin next to him. Zexion swiped his own weapon at the knees of the mount, causing it to topple. He quickly extracted himself from the surrounded situation through the gap he had made, intent on finding the others.

"Quick, in here!" Roxas decided, opening the undersized door of a nearby house and going inside. Axel and Demyx barely made it through the door, and had to crouch once there due to the low ceiling. They barricaded the door, and used anything they could find inside to deter the goblins from climbing in the windows.

"Demyx, use your weird magical powers!" Roxas insisted, as he shoved a bowl of berries at a goblin's face who was trying to invade through the window.

"What?!" Demyx asked, crawling up the tiny stairs and popping the roof off the house. There were goblins swarmed everywhere. Right, magical powers. Yelling to get rocks to come help them. Demyx inhaled deeply and yelled as loud as he could the first thing that came to mind; "I NEED TO USE THE BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!"

There was a large rumble and some goblins turned to look at the outer gates to the city. It appeared as if an entire army was trying to break down the door and force their way in. After a moment, an avalanche of rocks and boulders poured into the city, bowling over goblins and piling on top of enemies, making them no longer mobile.

"Let's go!" Axel commanded, kicking open the door and dragging Roxas outside. Demyx climbed out the hole that used to be the roof and hopped down the side of the house to join them. The city seemed even more chaotic than it had been before, goblins shouting and cursing. "Run for your lives!" "Mommy!" "I'm going home!"

Several goblins tried to still attack them, but to no avail. The group easily ducked their fire, and watched boulders decimate their enemies in the middle of battle executions. They ran by Zexion, and Demyx grabbed onto his arm. "Come on!" Zexion allowed himself to be drug away from his moment of recklessness, that he vowed he would never tell a single soul about how he enjoyed it.

"This way," Roxas instructed, taking the steps into the castle by twos. He led the group into the throne room, and found it completely empty, Riku's robe draped across the chair. "Damnit!" he cursed, looking around. This was the climax of the story, and whether there was a sense of urgency or not, things needed to be done fast. Roxas caught sight of the clock on the wall, labeled thirteen hours. Oh! They DID have a time restraint! The clock ticked away at the last three or so minutes that they had.

Roxas looked around and spotted an open doorway with a hallway that disappeared around a corner. It was the only exit out of the room that wasn't the one they had come in. "They must have went that way," Roxas said, starting towards the door. Axel began to follow him.

"No, I have to face him alone," Roxas informed him, stopping the group from proceeding.

"Why?" Zexion asked. Would it not be more helpful for them to 'face' Riku together?

Roxas thought for a moment. He didn't know why exactly, but it seemed logical. The hero faced the bad guy alone at the end of the story. "That's the way it's done," Roxas decided.

"Well…if that's the way it's done, then that's the way you must do it," Zexion said, shrugging. He'd read this story before. He admitted it hadn't been one of his favorites, but Zexion was finding that he enjoyed it more and more.

"If you need us, for anything at all, just call," Axel assured him. Demyx backed him up with a "Yeah." They would wait here, while Roxas fought through the final level, faced the last dilemma, defeated Riku, got back Sora, and the end credits rolled.

Roxas gave them a confident smile. "Thanks, guys."

Riku waited for Roxas in an area behind a corner and around a straight hallway, over a flight of stairs and on top of the ceiling. How he had gotten there, he wasn't quite sure, but he was there. He had left Sora reluctantly, who had been looking somewhat pale, to rest on a set of steps. It was cold for Sora, uncomfortable, and he wanted to go home. Riku currently meditated on the fact that he would once again play the villain to Roxas. It was his role, his part. Sora played the kidnapped just fine, without any prompting, and Roxas' hero complex worked well for him. The stage was set, and Riku leaned forward to watch Roxas wander in the door.

* * *

You never saw it coming in the next chapter: "To the Death!" 


	15. To the Death!

Roxas walked into a room of nonsense. "Oh, great!" he said, rolling his eyes. There were pathways and stairs, every which way, upside down and sideways. His stomach turned a little just thinking of the disorientation of possibly walking on the wall. Roxas wasn't sure what this meant. He was to run around on the stairs like a crazy person until Riku showed up, was he?

Roxas was too impatient. "Riku?! Sora!?" He called out, heading down a flight of stairs and up another, avoiding doorways. Like the Labyrinth, this was something that seemed like it could be solved with logic, but in truth couldn't. Roxas turned a theoretical "corner" and almost ran into Riku.

"Where's Sora?" Roxas blurted out immediately. He took up a defensive stance. "What do I have to do, fight you? What? Lets get it over with," he insisted.

Riku looked at him like he was a moron. "That'd be great, but I don't know where Sora went."

Roxas' mouth fell open. "You lost him AGAIN?! What is wrong with you?"

"Its not like he's a set of car keys!" Riku pointed out. "He does this on his own." It wasn't Riku's fault that Sora liked to go off and do whatever sounded good to him at the moment.

Riku pulled one of his crystals out of his pocket and looked into it. Usually, these things told him what he wanted to know. He looked closely but all he saw was the distortion of his fingers on the other side. "Well, this thing is useless," he said, chucking it across the vast room. Roxas' eyes followed its line of flight, watching it bounce a little and roll to a stop right next to Sora.

"Sora!" he called out, heading down the stairs in front of him, attempting to go towards him. Riku followed close behind. "He didn't look okay, why didn't he look okay? You were supposed to be taking care of him." Roxas scolded Riku. Sora had been lying on his side, unmoving.

"I was taking good care of him," Riku snapped. "The best that I could, given the circumstances. He needs to go home and go to bed." The environment they had been forced into wasn't the best for trying to get well, even though Riku had done his best to make Sora comfortable.

Roxas stopped on a ledge. "Look, there he is. Lets jump down," Roxas suggested. Riku looked over the brink. "Are you stupid? Maybe you're interested in breaking your legs." It was too far to jump, especially when landing on stone.

"Hey, this is your castle so, I'm counting on you to magic us down there. Okay?" Roxas said, patting Riku on the shoulder. "In fact, you first," he gave Riku a sudden shove and jumped down after him, closing his eyes just in case.

Riku's feet hit the ground softly for having jumped from such a height. "That wasn't so bad," he commented, opening his eyes to make sure Roxas landed as safely as he had. His relieved half-smile disappeared as he took in his surroundings. "Roxas?" he asked, stumbling a little as he was roughly shoved by a much taller, much bulkier man.

"Outta the way, kid," he grunted, and Riku watched him shove his way to a small platform he stepped onto. The ceiling opened up, flooding the room with light, and the platform elevated the man through the hole.

Riku heard a faint wild cheering from above him, and decided to ignore it in favor of looking around the room. There were a good twenty or so men crowded in the small room, some of them sitting on the ground shivering, muttering to themselves. They looked unsure and frightened. Others were brandishing weapons, licking knives, or doing stretches and exercises. All of them looking like they were preparing for something.

There was a man standing behind a desk near the only door to the room. Riku elbowed his way through a few men to get to him. "Uh, excuse me?"

The man eyed him suspiciously, and cast a glance at two husky guys who were seemingly guarding the door. "Once you're in its done, ain't no leavin'." He told Riku.

"Sure but, what is it?" Riku asked. Apparently he was in for something whether he liked it or not.

The man laughed, spit flying out of his mouth. Riku cringed. "What a sucker! You gone and signed up fer the game and you don't even know what it is!" The guards chuckled deeply until the man glared at them, and they shut right up.

"Well, I guess I just wanted to have a little fun," Riku lied. He didn't want to sound like an idiot, and being cocky and overconfident was in his blood. He could handle it. "There's no harm in being a little reckless once in a while. So tell me the rules of this game so I can break them."

The man snorted. "Ain't no rules. Livin' is the only rule. Last guy livin' when the boss wins, gets the prize."

"What's the prize?" Riku asked. "I have a right to know what I'll be winning."

Riku could tell the man was used to dealing with cocky bastards, so he just grinned throughout their conversation. "Prize is whatever ya claim. Gotta claim it before ya win. You win you got it."

Riku thought about what he would claim as a prize. He didn't have a full grasp of the situation yet, so he'd have to decide on the spot. Riku hadn't a clue where Roxas, Sora, or the others had gone.

"What's the next fool?!" the man yelled suddenly, as the ceiling opened up again and the platform lowered, with the burly man's body splayed out on it. Two men stuffed it rather unceremoniously into a body bag, and the guards allowed them to drag it through the door. Desk man cackled loudly in Riku's direction. "Only way you scums is leavin' here is in a big black bag! Har har har!" A small, thin man stood up and screamed, running for the door, but the guards stopped him with a taser. Desk man cackled all the more and Riku felt the need to remove himself from the immediate area.

Riku headed over to where the majority of the crowd was gathered, and watched all the men turn their attention to a screen that he hadn't noticed before. It was a grid of black and white; a chess board. Riku groaned. Fantastic. He'd watched enough twisted movies to recognize a game of human chess when he saw one.

By studying the grid, Riku could figure out how the game was going. White was clearly winning, and judging by the nasty desk man's confidence, the one winning must be this 'boss' he spoke of. With the little information he had, Riku figured the best way to handle this was to keep alive, and win whatever prize he claimed. To win, you had to be the victor in the battle that caused your player to checkmate. Riku looked around him. Some of the fighters were discussing among themselves, some weren't even looking at the grid. He could easily pick out those who understood the game, and those who didn't. Fortunately, the amount that seemed to understand was slim.

This 'boss' was an okay player, but they weren't the best. Their opponent just so happened to suck a lot. Riku silently thanked the communal group of parents for deciding amongst themselves to make an attempt to bring their children up 'cultured'. This included getting together on Wednesday nights to watch Jeopardy when they were little. Riku knew all kinds of pointless information, how to play a decent game of chess included. (Along with how to change the oil in his car, and the capital of Turkmenistan.)

With the way that the boss had been playing, Riku realized that he would eventually win. His play style exhibited some weird quirks, which Riku took into account. It was familiar, with little thought and a lot of action, and a tendency to overuse his knight just because he liked it the most. Riku could predict when he'd checkmate his opponent. He found an extra space of wall to lean against while he waited for the opportune moment.

Riku watched the brawl over the next spot, when all the thugs around thought the boss would checkmate. Riku knew better, though. He waited for the next spot after, and pushed a nerdy looking guy aside to claim the platform.

"Hey, kid, you goin' up there with no weapons?" Some guy yelled at him, tossing a handgun his way, which Riku barely caught without it blowing off his hand. "I expect my cut of the prize for that," the man said, licking a knife for good measure. Riku was certain that he wouldn't be sticking around in this story long enough to get hunted down by the guy after the game was over to demand his cut of the prize. Riku spread his feet a little to catch his footing as the platform lurched, and rose into the opening in the ceiling.

Riku squinted in the bright light of the stadium, shielding his eyes against the fluorescent spotlight suddenly cast upon him. When his eyes finally adjusted, he realized he was standing on a white square. The board was huge, and the stadium around was filled with men in suits, women in evening dresses, their faces seemingly shrouded. Behind him and before him were box seats, the players, he presumed. He looked towards the white player, but could not see his face. The black player seemed to be some generic Joe.

The floor rumbled a bit and Riku whipped around to watch a black square disappear into the floor, and rise again, a person occupying it. The blonde spun around and Riku took a step back.

"Roxas?" Situation, bad.

"Riku? Well, eff that," Roxas said, an extremely aggravated look on his face. He was holding a sheathed sword in one hand. Riku wasn't worried.

"You're not helping," Riku said, exasperated. He rubbed his temple, trying to think of what to do.

The crowd started to grumble, and call out a little, the words "fight" and "get on with it" pouring from them.

"Would you claim your prizes?" a voice called out above the mumbling, and both boys turned towards the black player.

"What prizes?" Roxas asked, looking confused.

"Apparently you claim a prize, and if you win the match that causes your player to checkmate, you get the prize," Riku explained. Apparently, Roxas had been dropped into the black player's bank of fighters, and hadn't had enough sense to find out what was going on.

"Oh," he replied. "Well I'm not fighting you, that's just stupid," Roxas shrugged as if this were obvious.

Riku glanced to the left and right, seeking out any sort of escape route. The room grew too dark around the edges to really make out any distinct doors, but Riku could definitely see the burly guards posted all around. Mostly likely, a few of them were carting guns, ready to shoot down any fighter who tried to make an escape.

"I think we might have to," Riku said.

"Is it possible to forfeit?!" Called a familiar voice from behind Riku.

The black player stood up, offended. "You can't forfeit just as you're about to checkmate! Are you trying to insult me?"

"No! There's been some sort of unforeseen circumstance that I-"

The audience started to grumble again. "Everyone knows these games are for the prestige and the power! I would take this forfeiture as a PERSONAL insult!" He sat back down in a huff. "FIGHT!" he demanded, and one of the guards shot at Roxas' feet causing him to jump away.

Roxas, shaken a little from being shot at, regained his composure. "FINE!" He yelled. "I want my prize to be…a year's worth supply of Fluffy Puff Marshmallows!"

"What?! You're an idiot!" Riku practically yelled at him. Trust Roxas to think of something completely useless! Riku gave him a shove.

"What does it matter?!" Roxas shoved him back. "This guy is so far from winning its ridiculous, he's almost as bad of a player as YOU."

Riku growled at him. "Care to repeat that?" Roxas didn't ALWAYS win! Riku won at least a third of their games!

"No. Anyway, its not like I could take home any sort of prize that I won," Roxas pointed out.

"And the white fighter?" One of the boss' attendants asked.

"If I win," Riku turned around and faced the white player, "I want YOU." He pointed his finger directly at the boss. The stadium erupted into laughter.

"What a moronic claim! That's against the rules!" The black player shouted, slamming his fist on the console in front of him.

"The prize is whatever the fighter claims. No rules, no exceptions." The official reminded them.

"What was that about?" Roxas asked, voice lowered.

Riku spoke equally as quiet. "The boss guy is about to checkmate. If I claim him as my prize, I can get basically anything that I want from him." It was a good plan. Riku only saw one flaw.

Roxas saw it, too. He took a step back.

"Don't be a wimp. Just let me hit you hard enough to knock you out," Riku insisted, advancing on him and grabbing his shirt collar. "Promise I'll make it up to you, later."

"HELL NO." Roxas replied, kicking Riku hard in the shin. Riku loosened his grip and Roxas backed up, crouching low. He was shorter than Riku, but he was faster. "If anyone is hitting ANYONE, it will be ME hitting YOU."

Riku went after him again, but Roxas got away once more. "That would be completely counterproductive!" Riku said, frustrated.

"On the contrary, it would make me feel better. Since its YOU that got us into this mess," Roxas swiftly kicked Riku in the leg. Riku was the Goblin King. The Village Chief. The not so wonderful Wizard. The bad guy, as it were.

Riku's leg buckled some, but he lurched forward and caught Roxas' arm, throwing him to the ground. "Excuse me? After all this time, you still haven't gotten over yourself?"

Roxas glared up at him. "What?"

"We're here because of YOU, genius. Because of your selfishness, the fact that you don't care about anything, and your hot-headed temper," Riku said, roughly picking Roxas up off the ground by the same arm he used to throw him down.

"Oh, because you've NEVER been selfish, ever," Roxas replied, sarcastically. Even though he knew that he knew Riku was right. It was his fault they were there. However, he didn't want to hear it from Riku, of all people. He threw a punch at Riku and grazed his jaw. Riku stumbled back a little.

"Yeah, but I don't wish for Goblins to take away my own brother," Riku said flatly.

Without warning, there was another shot at Roxas' feet and he jumped, stumbling over himself. "This isn't afternoon tea," the official reminded him. "This is a fight to the death. If one of you does not kill his opponent within ten minutes, you will both be disqualified." There was a cocking of guns all around the stadium, making it clear exactly what disqualified meant.

Roxas and Riku stared at each other. Roxas slowly picked up the sword he had brought with him. Again, Riku wasn't worried. He was quickly trying to think of a way out of this predicament. It was only when Roxas drew the sword on him and tossed away the sheath that he took a step back cautiously.

"You don't think you're going to-" Riku began.

"I didn't mean to. I didn't MEAN to!" Roxas shouted at him. Why was he being punished for his weaknesses?

"But you did it," Riku pointed out. Roxas brandished the sword at him. "If you die here, will it be okay once we're home?" he asked, in a mildly curious manner.

Roxas lurched forward and slashed at him, catching his cheek as he dodged. It was then that Riku thought Roxas might be serious. Roxas backed up and went for him again. "I didn't MEAN to!" he repeated. He was angry. At Riku, at this place, at himself.

"Stop," Riku commanded, pulling out the handgun he had been thrown and pointing it directly at Roxas. Roxas skidded to a halt about five feet from Riku.

Riku was being cruel, he knew it. He didn't want to shoot Roxas, and he knew that Roxas didn't really want to kill him, either. He held the gun with two hands, to steady himself, or to cover the fact that he was shaking slightly. "One of us has to die, Roxas. This damned story HAS to end." Riku felt confused, though he didn't show it. There wasn't any other options, right? It was one of them or both of them!

"Why does it have to be me?" Roxas asked, dropping the sword he was holding, hoping that this could go as smoothly as the chainsaw incident. Surely this was just another side story, and yet their coming here was not of Riku's doing, so it made him nervous.

"You got us into this, so your sacrifice will get us out," Riku said, not allowing any malice to enter his voice. He didn't want Roxas to think he was going to kill him out of cold hearted cruelty or anger. He cocked the gun, and his hands became even more unsteady.

"Then shoot me! Not him!" Came the voice from behind him.

Riku whipped around and looked up, where the white player was hanging out of the box, his assistants attempting to keep him from falling out onto the board. His face was now clearly illuminated by the glow of the giant chess board.

Riku was speechless, but Roxas wasn't. "Sora?"

* * *

The thrilling conclusion in the last chapter: "There and Back Again!" 

PS: Please ignore the fact that I don't know how to play chess!


	16. There and Back Again

"Sora!" Roxas called out, attempting to dash forward. Riku caught his arm and twisted it behind him, holding the gun to his temple.

"What are you doing?" Roxas hissed, squirming.

"Keeping them from killing both of us," Riku said quietly into Roxas' ear. "If they still think I'm about to kill you, they might not shoot us."

Pretty okay plan, except that it was still really frightening.

Sora leaned out over the box again. "Sir! Please sit down!" one of his assistants urged. Sora batted their hand away. "Shoot me instead, Riku. If you really want to kill the source of this catastrophe."

"What are you saying?" Riku asked, needing clarification.

Sora had guilt written all over his face. "I'm saying I brought us here," Sora replied. There was quiet mumbling in the audience.

"To this game," Riku confirmed. He hardly thought Sora was capable of purposefully sending them to such a vulgar and murderous game, though.

"To the whole thing. I wanted to get away, but I didn't want to go by myself. I guess…" Sora avoided his gaze. "I guess I thought that if we were in different circumstances, I could maybe have the courage to confess to you…and Roxas would…"

"IT WAS YOU THE WHOLE TIME?! WHAT MADE YOU THINK THIS WAS OKAY?!" Roxas yelled at him, not feeling the need to be patient with his brother.

"I…" Sora began, taken aback by Roxas' sudden outburst. Riku wrenched his arm. "Don't yell at him," he snapped.

"MAYBE I JUST WANTED TO KNOW THAT YOU CARED ABOUT ME AT ALL!" Sora yelled back suddenly, loosing his balance and almost falling out of the box. "Do you think I like being the good kid all the time? I'm exhausted from living up to Dad and Larxene's expectations of me!" He gripped the edge of the box.

"You're an idiot, Sora," Roxas said. Riku twisted his arm a little bit more.

"I'm sorry, Roxas! I didn't mean for it to turn out this way!" Sora cried. The last thing he wanted as for Roxas to hate him more. "I didn't know it was me at first. I took us into the Labyrinth, but everyone lost their memories. I sent you to the parasitic village, to have some fun, maybe. While I sorted things out. I realized what was going on, but I didn't know how to stop it. I took you to the Twilight, to try and fix it. Then, to the Emerald City, to try and give you some time with Axel. I thought…that it could reconcile what I did a little bit. But by that time, you were running the stories by yourself. So I wandered off, to see what I could do, find some answers, a way out, anyone that could help. When I was too weak, I collapsed and brought us to the Alphabet City, I guess as a last ditch effort." Sora explained it all as best he could, hurriedly, as the crowd was getting restless and the trigger fingers of the officials were itching.

"What about the ball?" Roxas asked.

Sora smiled slightly at Roxas. "I thought that I'd do that for you…you know. Offer you all your dreams come true, or something like that. It sounded like a nice idea at the time, but it got all mixed up. It was you, it was everyone, that started manipulating the stories. That must be why we ended up here." It was Sora's best guess, some distorted reality where Sora was put in a position of authority, as he had been the entire time, and his two deepest interests were laid out on the battle field. Sora drew himself back into the box a little. "Everything turned out so horrible."

Roxas' face broke into a half-smile, that he hoped Sora could see. He shook his head, as best he could with a gun pressed to it. "Who said it was all horrible?" After all, he had gotten a lot closer to Axel, and even though it was annoying at the time, it was kind of fun sometimes.

"What?" Sora asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't so bad, Sora. Maybe I even deserved some of that. I admit I learned a lot of things, too," Roxas said. Riku nodded. "I think we all did," he added. Riku knew he certainly had learned some things about his friends and himself that he wouldn't soon forget.

Everyone jumped as a gunshot ripped through the silence. Roxas thanked all manner of gods that Riku hadn't been startled enough to accidentally pull the trigger.

"This was all a very touching story, but are you aware how many people have vast amounts of power and money riding on this game?" The black player said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Riku backed off, still pointing the gun at Roxas. "I guess…I'll have to shoot you now," Riku said, steadying his hand once again. Could he shoot him somewhere that wouldn't actually kill him, but they might assume him dead? Maybe he could shoot him in the shoulder and then kick him in the head to knock him out? It made Riku slightly sick to think of all these choices. Especially since he knew that shooting and killing Roxas was really the only way to get out of this.

"No, Riku!" Sora yelled from the player's box.

Roxas quite clearly didn't want to be shot. His knees were shaking just a little.

"Do you see any other option?!" Riku asked, exasperated.

"Do it now," Roxas said, spreading his feet a little and bracing himself for the blow.

"We'll see you at home," Riku told him, as if he could choose whether to live or die accordingly.

"Roxas! Roxas!" Sora's cries fell on deaf ears. The two boys on the board knew what was to be done.

"Yeah," Roxas replied, taking a deep breath.

Riku thought of closing his eyes, or looking away, but he knew he should be just as brave as Roxas needed to be right now. He looked Roxas directly in the eye and squeezed the trigger.

A gunshot tore through the stadium and Roxas fell to his knees. The crowed cheered wildly for a moment, Sora trying to scramble out of the box, Riku's hand shaking violently. The cheering turned to screams and shouting as several other shots were heard, and the breaking of glass. Riku looked up just in time to squat and cover his head from the falling shards. Searchlights poured into the building and people made as if they were going to bolt, only to be trapped by men rappelling from the ceiling and seizing them on the spot.

"This is the FBI! You're all under arrest!" came a booming voice over the helicopter speakers that were hovering above the building. A full on raid was in progress, and Riku could only stand on the board, looking from the gun to Roxas in shock. He pointed the gun at the floor and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked and nothing else. He fired it several times, his ears filling with a clicking noise.

Riku threw the thing on the ground and watched Roxas get up off his knees, checking himself. He laughed sort of awkwardly, looking at Riku.

"Wasn't loaded," Riku explained, shrugging as if it were no big deal. Huge bit of good that guy had done him, giving him an unloaded gun to fight with.

Unexpectedly, Roxas dove forward and hugged Riku. Riku sort of stiffened up, but after a second, returned the hug. "Sorry," Roxas apologized for it promptly. Riku just sort of shrugged. There was no harm in it. In fact, it was perfectly welcome.

Someone suddenly seized both Riku and Roxas, pulling their arms behind them.

"Oh, I always wanted to see you in handcuffs. Too bad I didn't bring any," Roxas' captor said, pulling off his raid helmet and letting his red hair return to its normal spikiness.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Get us OUT of here. For good this time," Roxas said.

"What about Sora?" Riku asked. He glanced up at the empty box.

"Zexion's got him," Demyx explained, only keeping a loose hold of Riku's hands behind his back. As soon as he said that, Zexion was leading Sora across the chess board. They didn't want to look suspicious to the other agents still apprehending people, so Riku, Roxas, and Sora remained as prisoners.

"Who's got a brilliant plan to get us the hell out of here?" Axel asked.

Roxas grinned. "Shoot out one of these floor tiles. Going inside anywhere is going to get us somewhere," one thing he had particularly taken care to learn in the Labyrinth.

Axel pulled out his gun and shot at one of the tiles, kicking out the jagged edges with his boot. "After you," he told Roxas urging him towards the edge. Roxas felt the sudden urge to plug his nose before the plunge, but he refrained and just took the leap into the darkness.

Roxas landed gingerly on the soft carpet of his living room, the clock's sudden loud chime startling him just a bit. There was no one around, and his very first instinct was to check on Sora.

Roxas took the stairs two at a time, his heart leaping at the light coming from under Sora's door. He opened it without asking, to find Sora seated on his bed, looking about ready to topple.

"Sora!" Roxas exclaimed, rushing to the bed, but taking it slowly at sitting down next to him. He looked around Sora's room, subconsciously taking an inventory to make sure it really WAS Sora's room.

"Are we really home?" Roxas asked, trying to push down his sheer excitement at the fact.

Sora nodded a little and swooned, his head landing on Roxas' shoulder. "Roxas…?" He asked, barely above a whisper.

As if he knew exactly what Sora was going to say, Roxas ruffled his hair gently. "Don't apologize anymore. In fact, I'm sorry. For saying all those stupid things, when I should have been watching out for you. I should have let you know how important you are to me, instead of resenting the fact that Dad and Larxene seemed to like you better."

"You mean that?" Sora asked, with a rather weak grin.

"Definitely. Now get your ass in bed," Roxas commanded, giving Sora a bit of a push to topple him over towards his pillows. Sora didn't bother changing clothes, he just crawled under the covers with a tired sigh.

"Let me know if you need anything," Roxas said, closing the door quietly as he left Sora's room. Roxas retreated to his own room, catching the clock in the hallway that somehow only read 7:45pm. Barely any time had passed!

Roxas plopped down at his desk with a heavy sigh. He looked at the Labyrinth book on his desk, and shoved it roughly into his backpack. Roxas stared into the mirror on the wall, scarcely believing he was there, back in reality. There was a click behind him and he watched the bedroom door open, and Axel peek his head in.

"Axel!" he exclaimed, turning around and jumping up to hug him fiercely. "What are you doing here?" Not that he minded in the least bit.

Axel laughed. "Well I figured that since you couldn't come out tonight, I'd come see you." He held up a white plastic bag from the grocery store around the corner. "And I don't know about you, but I'm freaking starving." He handed the bag to Roxas to rummage through first. "Don't worry, no peaches," he promised.

"Oh, Sora's probably hungry, too. I didn't ask him," Roxas commented. He wondered what he should bring him. Did they have some chicken noodle soup or anything?

"Don't worry about it," Axel said, sitting down on Roxas' bed, pulling him down next to him. "I brought Riku over, too. So he'll take care of Sora." Axel pulled Roxas closer to him, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "So we can, you know." He smirked.

"Eat?" Roxas asked, cheekily. Axel shook his head, leaning down a little.

"I have a report to write," Roxas insisted, leaning back a little. He was just teasing, of course. But it was amusing all the same.

"Maybe later," Axel suggested, tackling Roxas onto the bed. "What time do your parents get home?"

Roxas put a hand on Axel's shoulder, pulling him down. "Late."

* * *

"I brought you soup," Riku said, letting himself inside Sora's room. Sora was lying on his back under the covers, not yet asleep.

"Mmmm…" Sora replied, sitting up a little. "Is it a good kind?"

Riku set the Tupperware down on Sora's nightstand. "I made it," Riku replied. "From a can," he added, when Sora looked at him skeptically.

Sora laughed a little as Riku sat on the edge of his bed gingerly. "I didn't think it was horrible either," he said, about the story.

Sora just sort of smiled. "Did you enjoy your few moments of bad guy kick assness?"

Riku thought about it for a moment. "The leather pants were a little iffy," he admitted.

Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck. "I liked them," he said.

"Well, maybe I can invest in a pair," Riku changed his mind, wrapping his arms around Sora in return.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora said, looking up at him.

"Hm?"

"I don't think I'm contagious anymore."

Riku smirked. "Perfect."

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, everyone! Its been lots of fun, and I appreciate all of your reviews so much. I didn't know where this was going to go, or how it was going to work out when I wrote it, but as long as someone out there enjoyed it, I'm absolutely thrilled. 


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